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HomePosts Tagged "fruits"
Company News, R&D, Vegetables, World

A new variety of red California pepper called Matga is suitable for the medium-late cycle

Spanish company Sakata has introduced a new variety of red California pepper called Matga, which is suitable for the medium-late cycle. Matga has uniformity throughout the cycle which is remarkable, and its fruits are described as if they were made with a mould. The variety covers transplants from July 20 to 30. Matga also boasts an ideal and uniform calibre even at the end of cultivation, which is spectacular in terms of size and quality of fruits.

Matga fruits have the Sakata quality seal: four hulls, excellent colour in green and red, no silver, and excellent firmness and weight thanks to their thick walls. Matga fruits have good plant resistance, giving the farmer the flexibility to harvest at their convenience and plan the export of goods when it best suits them. Post-harvest is added to the plant’s endurance, and thanks to the firmness of the fruits, the post-harvest is good and prolonged, ideal for export.

Matga shows an open, clear plant structure ideal for preventing thrips parvispinus, a current pest that worries farmers. The structure of the plant makes it difficult for thrips parvispinus to establish. Matga also has hairy leaf characteristics, which favours the establishment of auxiliary fauna, and together with the early flowering, makes it the perfect variety for farmers who opt for integrated control within their greenhouse. The variety also has a complete pack of resistances, including powdery mildew.

A new variety of red California pepper

Horticulture, R&D

Jamun is the largest genome to be sequenced from the world’s largest tree genus, Syzygium

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISER Bhopal) Researchers have completed the first-ever genome sequencing of the Jamun tree (Syzygium cumini), an evergreen tree popular in India for its medicinal properties, fruits, and ornamental value.

To understand the genomic and evolutionary basis of the tree’s medicinal values, the research team sequenced the S.cumini genome from the world’s largest tree genus Syzygium using Oxford Nanopore and 10x Genomics sequencing technologies. Jamun is the largest genome to be sequenced from the world’s largest tree genus, Syzygium.

The team, led by Dr Vineet K. Sharma, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, includes Abhishek Chakraborty, Shruti Mahajan, and Manohar Singh Bisht from IISER Bhopal. Their findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

Explaining the aim of this research, Dr Vineet K Sharma, Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Bhopal, said, “This research aimed to gain new functional and evolutionary insights from the Jamun genome, which could be responsible for the wide range of pharmacological properties of this species conferred by the bioactive compounds that act as nutraceutical agents in modern medicine.” 

Syzygium cumini, often known as Jamun, jambolan, or black plum, is a Myrtaceae plant family tropical tree. Its natural range includes the Indian Subcontinent and South-East Asia. The clove genus, Syzygium, is the world’s biggest tree genus, with 1,193 recognised species, of which Jamun is one. 

Jamun is the largest genome to be

India, Sustainability

Representatives of women working under Umed from 34 districts across the state attended the event with samples of their produce or farm produce

A state-level ‘Buyer Seller Meet’ was organised at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Navi Mumbai by Umed – Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission. The innovative program ‘Buyer Seller Meet’ implemented by Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission to reach out to big companies and buyers will be a milestone. The meet will provide a sustainable market for women’s agricultural and non-agricultural products of Umed Self Help Group. This innovative initiative has received a great response expressed Eknath Dawle, Principal Secretary of the Rural Development Department.

28 agreements were concluded in the presence of representatives of 41 leading chain business companies across the country and representatives of self-help groups and farmers’ women producers’ companies from across the state.

Dawle said, “The Rural Development Department is helping rural women in many ways to become financially independent to make them self-reliant through Umed Abhiyaan. Our women’s products are classy and the best in quality. Now they need to get a permanent market.”

The Principal Secretary appealed to professionals and big companies to come forward and contribute to empowering these women.

Since agriculture is the main occupation of Umed women in rural areas, the main objective of the program was to purchase the agro-based products produced by them in wholesale quantities by different companies or chain traders to get good returns to the farmers. Representatives of women working under Umed from 34 districts across the state attended the event with samples of their produce or farm produce.

In this meet, quality grains and pulses like soybean, chilli, turmeric, tur, gram, maize, millet, ragi, sorghum, spices, jaggery, honey, fruits, herbs, oilseeds etc. products were made available in sample form. Representatives of more than 30 organisations and companies were present as buyers. Buyers’ organisations and representatives of companies showed enthusiasm to sign contracts because of the availability of organic and pure products by women. The interest shown by the buyers in this program will help the women to have a sustainable market in the future.

Representatives of women working under Umed from

Agrotech, E-commerce, Horticulture, India, Start ups, Supply Chain

Consumers can view pesticide test reports for Superplum fruits and see the actual farm where their fruits were grown

Superplum, an agritech startup based out of Noida, recently launched a unique feature that allows consumers to scan a QR code and pay a bonus to the farmer who has grown the food they are eating. Consumers can already view pesticide test reports for Superplum fruits and see the actual farm where their fruits were grown.

All this is possible due to the company’s fully digitised and traceable supply chain that tracks every pack that the consumer receives. Superplum’s end-to-end digitised platform allows granular quality control and analysis of all products. The company works across 20 states and delivers over 20 fruits from the farm to retail stores. 

Shobhit Gupta, the CEO of Superplum, said, “From the outset, our system has been designed to benefit both consumers by getting better quality fruits and farmers by getting them a better share of consumer spending. We also work with farmers and support them to grow high-quality, safe fruits and reduce wastage through investment in cutting-edge technology and an innovative cold chain. If you love the fruits you are eating, it’s now easy to show your appreciation.”

Consumers can view pesticide test reports for

Country, India, Trade, Vegetables, World

Fruits and vegetables, cereals, livestock, and processed foods witnessed a spike in exports this fiscal

Exports of agricultural and processed food products have increased by 25 per cent within six months of the current Financial Year 2022-23 (April-September) in comparison to the corresponding period of FY 2021-22. According to the provisional data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the overall export of agricultural and processed food products has witnessed a growth of 25 per cent during April-September 2022.

The overall export of Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) products increased to $13,771 million in April-September 2022 from $11056 million over the same period of the last fiscal year. The initiatives taken by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through APEDA have helped the country achieve 58 per cent of its total export target for the year 2022-23 within six months of the current fiscal.

For the year 2022-23, an export target of $23.56 billion has been fixed by APEDA for the agricultural and processed food products basket and export of $13.77 billion have already been achieved in these six months of the current fiscal. As per the DGCI&S provisional data, processed fruits and vegetables recorded a significant growth of 42.42 per cent (April-September 2022), while fresh fruits registered 4 per cent growth as opposed to corresponding months of the previous year.

Also, processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of 29.36 per cent compared to the first six months of the previous year.

In April-September, 2021, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of $ 301 million which increased to $313 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Exports of processed F&V jumped to USD 1024 million in six months of the current fiscal from $719 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

The export of pulses has witnessed an increase of 144 per cent in Q2 of the current fiscal in comparison to the corresponding months of the last fiscal as the export of lentils increased from $ 135 million (April-September 2021-22) to $ 330 million (April-September 2022-23).

Basmati Rice exports witnessed a growth of 37.36 per cent in six months of FY 2022-23 as its export increased from $ 1660 million (April-September 2021) to $ 2280 million (April-September 2022), while the export of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 8 per cent in Q2 of current fiscal. Its export increased to USD 3207 million in six months of the current fiscal from $ 2969 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

The export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased by 10.29 per cent and the export of other cereals recorded a growth of 12.29 per cent in six months of the current fiscal. The poultry products alone registered a growth of 83 per cent as its export rose to $57 million within the half-year bracket of the current fiscal from $31 million recorded for the corresponding months of the previous year.

Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 58 per cent as its export rose to $ 342 million in Q2 of the current fiscal from $216 million in Q2 of the previous year.

Wheat export registered an increase of 136 per cent in Q2 of the current fiscal. Wheat export rose to $1487 million in April-September 2022 from $630 million in April-September 2021.

Other cereals’ export increased from $ 467 million in April-September 2021 to $525 million in April-September 2022 and the export of livestock products increased from $ 1903 million in April-September 2021 to $ 2099 million in April-September 2022.

Fruits and vegetables, cereals, livestock, and processed

Agrotech, India, R&D, Vegetables

Researchers at IIT Guwahati, led by Prof Vimal Katiyar, Department of Chemical Engineering and Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Polymers (CoE-SusPol), have developed an edible coating to extend the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables. This coating material, which prevents wastage, is tested on vegetables such as potato, tomato, green chili and strawberries, Khasi Mandarin, Apples, pineapples, Kiwifruits and were found to keep these vegetables fresh for nearly two months.
The researchers believe that their development can help the country meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3 that is aimed at reducing food losses along the production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
Highlighting the need for such research, Prof Vimal Katiyar, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, and CuSPol, IIT Guwahati, spoke, “According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, between 4.6 and 15.9 per cent of fruits and vegetables go waste post-harvest, partly due to poor storage conditions. In fact, post-harvest loss in certain produce items like potato, onion and tomato could be as high as 19 per cent, which results in high prices for this highly consumed commodity.”
Speaking about the developed biodegradable coating, Prof. Vimal Katiyar, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, “The newly-developed coatings can be mass-produced and are unique. They are very stable to light, heat and temperature up to 40oC, edible and can be safely eaten as part of the product formulation and do not add unfavorable properties to it. They retain the texture, color, appearance, flavor, nutritional value and microbial safety of the fruit or vegetable that has been coated, thereby enhancing their shelf life to several weeks to months”.

Researchers at IIT Guwahati, led by Prof

Agrotech

The company recently announced the expansion of its SmartFresh Inbox in California with CDPR approval for a range of new crops

AgroFresh Solutions, Inc, a global agtech innovator that provides produce freshness solutions, and digital technologies that enhance the quality and extend the shelf life of fresh produce, recently announced the expansion of its SmartFresh Inbox in California with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (CDPR) approval for a range of new crops. SmartFresh InBox offers powerful protection in a small, portable sachet, expanding the availability of SmartFresh technology for growers, packers and retailers who either don’t have an airtight room or require a more convenient option.

SmartFresh InBox, now registered in California on pome fruits (apples and pears), stone fruits (peaches and plums), kiwi and avocados, utilises AgroFresh’s industry leading SmartFresh (1-MCP) ethylene management technology to delay the ripening process and helps maintain post-harvest produce quality and freshness. SmartFresh InBox sachets are easy to apply and handle, offering effective protection against internal and external threats to freshness, resulting in increased shelf life and reduced levels of food loss and waste.

“California is the largest and most diverse fruit growing region in the US and our customers there need more flexible application methods and products to help preserve and protect the crops they oversee,” said Sarah Enescu, Commercial Business Director for AgroFresh.

The company recently announced the expansion of

Environment, North America

DCPA is an herbicide applied to control grasses and certain broadleaf weeds in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a notice of intent to suspend (NOITS), which when effective, will prevent the sale, distribution, and use of the technical-grade product containing the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA).

EPA is issuing this NOITS for DCPA because AMVAC, the sole registrant, has not provided the full complement of data the Agency required it to submit over nine years ago. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the registrant is required to submit data to support the continued registration of this product. Due to the registrant’s long-standing failure to respond to EPA’s requests for necessary data, the Agency is unable to fully evaluate the risks associated with DCPA.

DCPA is an herbicide applied to control grasses and certain broadleaf weeds in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings. Agricultural use sites include cole crops (e.g., broccoli, kale, cabbage), cucurbits, tomatoes, onions, and herbs. Non-agricultural use sites include non-residential turf and ornamentals.

As required by FIFRA, EPA periodically re-evaluates pesticides through registration review to ensure that risk assessments and pesticide decisions reflect the best available science. Part of the registration review process is to identify risks of concern and to implement actions that can mitigate these risks. To ensure access to the needed data, the Agency notifies registrants of the data requirements through issuance of a FIFRA Data Call-In Notice (DCI).

DCPA is an herbicide applied to control

AgroPolicy, Trade

All set to achieve an annual target of $23.71 billion in current fiscal

Notwithstanding COVID-19 challenges, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has scripted a new success story by achieving 90 per cent of the export target fixed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the financial year 2021-22.

The APEDA has successfully exported agricultural and processed food products worth $21.5 billion in the first 11 months of the current fiscal and is all set to achieve the annual export target of $23.71 billion for 2021-22. APEDA has a share of more than 5 per cent in achieving this target of $400 billion of mercantile exports in the current fiscal.

Being the highest foreign exchange earner, 91 per cent of the rice export target of $8.67 billion has been achieved by APEDA so far. Rice exports have crossed $8.67 billion from April-February in the current fiscal, India has exported rice worth $8.62 billion, while the export of other cereals has jumped to 105 per cent of the export target of $847 million.

In the fruits and vegetable category, against the export target of $3048 million till February, APEDA has exported F&V worth $2506 million, which is 75 per cent of the total target.

The cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed items have been exported to the tune of $2036 million which is 89 per cent of the export target of $2102 million till February in the current fiscal year, while the export of meat, dairy and products has been recorded at $3771 million, which is 82 per cent of the $4205 million export target fixed till February 2022.

The export of wheat recorded a huge surge at $1742 million during April-January 2021-22, growing 387 per cent over the corresponding period in 2020-21 when it touched $358 million, while other cereals registered a growth of 66 per cent by fetching $869 million during April-January 2021-22 over the corresponding period in 2020-21 when it touched $527 million.

Meat, dairy and poultry products exports grew over 13 per cent standing at $3408 million in April-January 2021-22 compared to $3005 million in the corresponding ten-month period of 2020-21. Fruits and vegetables exports were up by 16 per cent to touch $1207 million during April-January 2021-22 against $1037 million in April-January 2020-21, while processed fruits and vegetable exports were up by 11 per cent to reach $1269 million during the first ten months of 2021-22 against $1143 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

“We continue to provide assistance to exporters based on clusters approach in collaboration with state governments while taking into consideration objective of Agriculture Export Policy, 2018,” Dr M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, said.

The rise in export of agricultural and processed food products has been also largely due to the various initiatives taken by APEDA such as organising B2B exhibitions in different countries, exploring new potential markets through product-specific and general marketing campaigns by the active involvement of Indian Embassies.

All set to achieve an annual target

Country, Dairy, Europe, Middle East countries, Supply Chain, Trade

Export of guavas from India have witnessed sees growth of 260 per cent since 2013

The export of guavas from India have witnessed sees growth of 260 per cent since 2013. Exports grow from $0.58 million in April-January 2013-14 to $2.09 million in April 2021-22.

India’s export of fresh fruits has also witnessed considerable growth. Fresh grapes are the largest exported items among all fresh food categories. During 2020-21, the export value of Fresh Grapes was $314 million. Export of other fresh fruits stood at $302 million, fresh mangoes at $36 million and others (betel leaves and nuts) at $19 million. During 2020-21, fresh grapes and other fresh fruits accounted for 92 per cent of India’s total export of fresh fruits.

India’s major exporting destinations of fresh fruits during 2020-21 were Bangladesh ($126.6 million), the Netherlands ($117.56 million), the UAE ($100.68 million), the UK ($44.37 million), Nepal ($33.15 million), Iran ($32.54 million), Russia ($32.32 million), Saudi Arabia ($24.79 million), Oman ($22.31 million) and Qatar ($16.58 million). The top ten countries accounted for 82 per cent of India’s export of fresh fruits in 2020-21.

The export of curd (yogurt) and paneer (Indian cottage cheese) has also seen a tremendous growth of 200 per cent from $10 million in April – January 2013-14 to $30 million in April-January 2021-22

It may be noted that dairy export is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10.5 per cent in the last five years. In 2021-22 (April-November), India exported $181.75 million worth of dairy products and in the current financial year, it is set to surpass the previous year’s export value.

India’s major exporting destinations of dairy products in 2020-21 were the UAE ($39.34 million), Bangladesh ($24.13 million), the US ($22.8 million), Bhutan ($22.52 million), Singapore ($15.27 million), Saudi Arabia ($11.47 million), Malaysia ($8.67 million), Qatar ($8.49 million), Oman($7.46 million) and Indonesia ($1.06 million). The top ten countries accounted for more than 61 per cent share in India’s dairy export in 2020-21.

Export of guavas from India have witnessed

Supply Chain, Trade

Launches robust campaign spanned across the year supported easy access to delicious South African produce to Indian consumers

Hortgro India ended 2021 on a positive note with a remarkable upsurge in demand for South African apples and pears in the Indian market. Promoting the excellent produce from South Africa in India, Hortgro conducted multiple marketing activities in 2021, reaching out to key stakeholders to increase awareness and affinity about the beautiful fruits from the beautiful country. The robust campaign spanned across the year supported easy access to delicious South African produce to Indian consumers.

A variety of apples and pears ranging from Pink Lady Apples, Royal Gala, and Granny Smith to Vermont Beauty, Forelle, and Packham Pears adorned the Indian markets.

Sachin Khurana, India Representative, Hortgro said, “The South African pome fruit growers, packers, and exporters are extremely delighted with the love Indian consumers have showered on South African Apples & Pears. 2021 has seen phenomenal growth in terms of imports from South Africa and we are committed to supplying Indian consumers with excellent quality and great tasting products. I see a lot of interest and enthusiasm from large importers and retailers from India about the business possibility that South African produce brings.”

South African Apples and Pears are now easily available at modern retailers, neighbourhood stores, local pushcart vendors as well as leading online stores.

Launches robust campaign spanned across the year