The Lychee (Litchi chinensis) is cultivated in China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Australia, Mexico and South Africa. China is the main producer of the fruit.   In Vietnam, lychee is produced at an estimated area of 80,000 hectares. The main growing areas are inContinue Reading

Date palm is the most important fruit in the Saudi Arabian culture, being a staple food with historical and religious significance. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is currently the second largest producer of date palm in the world with 23 million trees across 172,000 ha, producing 1.3 million tonnes.Continue Reading

Photos by Shree Padre.   A symposium on “Jackfruit and Breadfruit in the Tropics: Genetic Diversity, Marketing, and Value Addition” was organized by the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) on 15-16 May 2014.   The symposium focused on jackfruit and breadfruit genetic diversity and geographical spread, production technologies and innovationContinue Reading

The content of nutrients and bio-active compounds are important to know when marketing tropical fruits, or when deciding which fruits to produce. However, this information is not always readily available. Many food composition tables do include few if any of tropical fruits. It is time-consuming to collect, evaluate and compileContinue Reading

Superfruits are fruits that are not only full of nutrients, but are also rich in fiber and polyphenols that can help people live longer, look better, and prevent diseases.   While different sectors still argue about its exact definition, it is generally agreed upon that superfruits are low-calorie, nutrient-rich foodContinue Reading

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA: Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) and Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) jointly organized an international workshop on ‘Reduction of Postharvest losses in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains’ on 17-20 March 2014.     The workshop was officially openedContinue Reading

International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) jointly collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to organize a study tour of the tropical fruit development programmes in Malaysia on 1-12 March 2014.   Participants of the study tour were 9 officialsContinue Reading

  COLOMBO, SRI LANKA: Organized by the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (SLCARP), the SLCARP International Research Symposium and the SLCARP Research Journal (2014) will be held on 11-12 August 2014 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Independence Square.   Interested participants are invited to submit abstracts on anyContinue Reading