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| ISSUE 90: MEGA 2024 |  |
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Keynote presenters and invited speakers to be announced soon! Register now: Click here for more information. |
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TROPICAL FRUIT NEWS |
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MALAYSIA: Combating a global banana crisis using its waste |  |
PERU: Fusarium TR4 cuts Piura banana production by up to 40% | ||||
| Recent research is showing that banana waste, particularly from plant stems, might hold the key to addressing one of the banana industry’s most pressing issues: disease management. | The presence of Fusarium TR4 has become a major headache for farmers, especially in Pirua, Peru where production has reduced by up to 40%. | ||||||
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MYANMAR: Waste bananas turned into value-added products |  |
KYRGYZSTAN: Increased banana imports from China in 2024 | ||||
| Waste bananas in Myanmar are being transformed into value-added products, providing additional income for local farmers and creating new business opportunities. | During the period from January to July 2024, Kyrgyzstan imported 7,500 tons of bananas from China. | ||||||
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PHILIPPINES: Safety dialogue empowers small-scale banana farmers |  |
ECUADOR: Law introduced to directly link banana farmers to exporters | ||||
| Small banana growers engage in dialogue, devise practical approaches to safety and health and foster collaboration among stakeholders in celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. | Ecuador’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) implemented Ministerial Agreement 015, establishing a new Unique Banana Codeto reduce the reliance of farmers to middle men. | ||||||
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FIJI: Plans to revive ‘banana market’ |  |
INDIA: 186,000 banana trees destroyed by storm | ||||
| Research work is being conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways to try and open up Fiji’s banana export market to New Zealand and other neighbouring countries. | The survey of banana trees damaged due to rain and strong gale revealed that 186,000 banana trees have been damaged and 187 farmers suffered losses. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Commercialization of genetically engineered banana approved |  |
COLOMBIA: Banana exports to bounce back | ||||
| Food Standards Australia New Zealand has approved an application of a university to permit food derived from a banana line genetically engineered for resistance to Panama disease. | Colombia, the world’s fifth biggest banana exporter, says it is on course to increase shipments by 5 per cent this year after last year’s drop in productivity. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Pineapple imports from India, Indonesia to face federal agriculture department risk assessment |  |
AUSTRALIA: Anti-dumping duty on Philippine canned pineapples: a thorn in Australia-Manila strategic ties? | ||||
| An undersupply of pineapple in the domestic market after a tumultuous few years has piqued the interest of international growers from India and Indonesia. | The reimposition of anti-dumping duty on canned pineapples from the Philippines has become a sticking point in Australia’s strategic trade partnership with Manila. | ||||||
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MALAYSIA: Sabah set to produce 5,000 tonnes of MD2 pineapples |  |
USA: California’s $395 pineapple highlights spike in luxury fruit market | ||||
| The MD2 pineapple cultivation project in Sabah is expected to yield 5,000 tonnes with an estimated income of RM20 million from late October until July 2025. | A limited-edition pineapple priced at $395 – a cost many would find exorbitant – is being sold at a southern California produce store as the bustling specialty fruit market expands. | ||||||
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VIETNAM: Lục Nam pineapple considered specialty of Bắc Giang Province |  |
BANGLADESH: Fair prices delight Sylhet pineapple growers | ||||
| Lục Nam is now considered a ‘metropolis’ for pineapple in Việt Nam’s northern region with visitors and guests to the province lured by the sweet taste. | The pineapple farmers of Sylhet region have expressed happiness with the bumper production of its early varieties and high prices amid the ongoing sultry summer heat. | ||||||
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CHINA: Exported mangoes gaining favor among Vietnamese consumers |  |
EGYPT: Egyptian mangoes set to conquer Southeast Asia soon | ||||
| Chinese mangoes are sold widely in traditional markets, at prices 20-30% cheaper than Vietnamese goods. | Southeast Asia may soon become a new export market for one of Egypt’s most unexpected fruits – mangoes. | ||||||
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PERU: Mango harvest expected to increase in the 2024/2025 season |  |
SPAIN: Drought devastates Málaga mango harvest | ||||
| The export of Peruvian mangoes has become a key pillar of the country’s agricultural economy, positioning Peru as one of the global leaders in this market. | Malaga’s mango season is expected to shrink significantly this year, with production anticipated to drop by 70 per cent compared to regular seasons. | ||||||
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MALAYSIA: Sweeter mangoes, quality durian; Fruitful harvest expected amid heatwave |  |
PAKISTAN: After high transportation costs, mango farmers suffer losses due to climate change | ||||
| The uncomfortable, even hazardous, heatwave currently gripping South-east Asia has some of Malaysia’s fruit farmers anticipating bountiful harvests in the coming months. | Production of Pakistani mangoes in Punjab province is down by almost 30-35% while in Sindh, it is less by 20% because of shifting seasonal patterns from climate change. | ||||||
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INDIA: Mangoes in Tamil Nadu hit by excessive heat, but farmers hopeful |  |
INDIA: Food authority warns traders against calcium carbide dangers in mango | ||||
| In the Western Ghats, mango farmers have seen only 10% of their usual yield because of excess rains immediately followed by excess heat. | The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issued a fresh warning to traders against using calcium carbide for artificially ripening mangoes, citing serious health risks. | ||||||
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KENYA: Wasps help farmers fight mealybug pest |  |
USA: New Andean Mountain Papaya program introduced | ||||
| The mealybug, native to Central America, is a rapidly spreading crop pest that has been wreaking havoc on papaya crops in Kenya since 2015. | A company in the USA is exploring the market demand for the Andean mountain papaya, which is popular in Chile. | ||||||
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AUSTRALIA: Papaya mealybug spreads to Darwin |  |
MOROCCO: Farmers on track for a bumper avocado harvest | ||||
| Since its discovery last year, papaya mealybug has spread across Darwin suburbs, impacting a range of host plants such as papaya, hibiscus and frangipanis. | Morocco’s climate has proved perfect for avocado growers, with the fruit’s popularity and ability to command high market prices increasing exports. | ||||||
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KENYA: Eyes ripening avocado market in China |  |
AUSTRALIA: Avocado industry “in crisis” | ||||
| Kenya’s avocado sector is seeking improved cooperation with China in food safety to expand exports to the lucrative market. | According to growers, the price per tray for the fruit, which still fetches top dollar in city cafes, is half what it used to be due to the oversupply in Australia. | ||||||
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CHINA: Avocados and honey imports a sign of growing agricultural engagement with Africa |  |
USA: Avocado sales soared on second quarter holidays | ||||
| South Africa is preparing to ship its first avocados to China and Tanzania has won a deal to export honey there as agriculture becomes a new focus of China-Africa engagement. | According to Hass Avocado Board, the US second quarter holidays – Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, and Father’s Day – generated the highest growth rates in 2024. | ||||||
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MEXICO: Avocados are a ‘green gold’ export, but growing them is harming forests and waters |  |
INFO: Study shows how avocado pruning residues can be used to produce more sustainable food packaging | ||||
| Raising avocados is economically beneficial in the short term for farmers but takes a toll on Michoacán’s land, forests and water supply. | The University of Cordoba has developed a prototype of material for food packaging made of avocado biomass from pruning of the tree. |
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MALAYSIA: 5,000 kg of durian sold in 5 hours at first major durian festival |  |
MALAYSIA: First batch of fresh whole durian leaves for China | ||||
| A pioneering durian festival held at the KL East Mall in Kuala Lumpur saw 5,000 kg of the fruit sold within 5 hours. | Malaysia’s durian exports to China reached a significant milestone with the arrival of the first batch of fresh whole fruit in Shenzhen and Zhengzhou. | ||||||
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MALAYSIA: Penang banks on durian tourism to drive up local economy |  |
VIETNAM: Mini Thai durian prices halve on high supply | ||||
| Between May and August, visitors from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore will be thronging Penang to taste the famed King of Fruits. | Mini durians from Thailand are being sold at VND65,000 (US$2.55) per kilogram, half their price last year. | ||||||
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NEW ZEALAND: Why do Kiwis go guava-ga for feijoas? |  |
VIETNAM: Local pomelo likely to be exported to Australia | ||||
| Feijoa season is a time of glut when New Zealanders share the joy of a foreign fruit that does so well in their soil. | The import of Vietnamese fresh pomelo into the Australian market may be allowed if the product meets SPS requirements. | ||||||
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CHINA: Extreme weather slashes China’s lychee crop |  |
SOUTH KOREA: Imports of tropical fruits at an all-time high | ||||
| Record rainfall of almost three times the norm has hit the Chinese province of Guangdong this April, affecting the yields of lychee crop. | South Korea is spearheading an effort to diversify fruit supply through imports to alleviate the high fruit prices of apples and pears. | ||||||
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VIETNAM: Imported Thai fruit prices plummet on rising supply |  |
FIJI: Farmer urges youth to consider farming after harvesting 960kg dragon fruit worth $14,000 | ||||
| Mangosteen, mini durian, snake fruit, and rambutan imported from Thailand are 30-40% cheaper than a year ago since supply is high. | A dragon fruit farmer in the Western Division is encouraging women and youths with arable land to seriously think of farming for a living. | ||||||
RECENT LITERATURE ON TROPICAL FRUIT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT |
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Replication Data for: sRNA dataset of PKWxPKW banana plant (GWT-16) Long read sequencing and assembly of wild diploid relatives and cultivars in support of banana breeding programs Banana fruit bruise detection using fractal dimension based image processing Banana ripeness determination based on CNN and XgBoost |
Monitoring Mango Fruit Fly Dynamics, Assessing Species and Damage in central Zone of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia Overexpression of two DELLA subfamily genes MiSLR1 and MiSLR2 from mango promotes eafly flowering and enhances abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis Mango (Mangifera indica) seeds and peel-derived hydrocolloids: gelling ability and emulsion stabilization. Mango Fruit Diseases Severity Estimation based on Image Segmentation and Deep Learning |
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D-limonene in the postharvest of 'THB' papaya Genetic Diversity of Papaya Using Molecular Markers Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Antioxidant potential and mineral elemental profiling of young and mature fruit and leaf of Carica papaya L. cultivar ‘Red Lady’ Efforts to understand transmission of the papaya meleira virus complex by insects |
The Antibacterial Activity Of Conventional Serum And Nano Face Serum From Pineapple Stem Extract (Ananas Comosus (L.) Merr) Against Staphylococcus Epidermidis Forces of flexural and tensile characteristics with nano cobalt filler in Carbon/Pineapple Leaf fiber composites Effect of storage on the physicochemical, rheological, antioxidant activity, and sensory properties of soy whey-fortified pineapple juice beverages |
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Deciphering the behind blackspot exocarp disorder in avocado cv. Hass through a hormonal, transcriptional and metabolic integration approach The Potential Impact of Long-Term Copper Fungicide Sprays on Soil Health in Avocado Orchards Effects of Delaying the Storage of ‘Hass’ Avocados under a Controlled Atmosphere on Skin Color, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity Optimizing the Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus of Avocado Plantations Provisionally accepted |
Mangosteen husk-derived porous carbon for quasi solid-state supercapacitor with advanced performances Use of the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) for Determining the Nutritional Balance of Durian Cultivated in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta Optimizing Guava Crop Yield and Quality through Various Regulation Methods Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of WRKY Transcription Factor Genes in Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) |
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