If you say Nico van Vliet, you say new vegetable varieties. With decades of experience at breeders such as Syngenta and Bayer, you can safely call him experienced. Soon, he will close the door at Bayer behind him to focus on new assignments in the sector – a good time to take a look back at his career so…
This winter, the lights are, once again, blazing in Belgian and Dutch cucumber greenhouses. Stabler energy prices and using energy-efficient LED lighting means growers and buyers have reached agreements more quickly. Although lit cultivation remains costly, trading partners and supermarket demand ensure…
Australian farmers are facing a crisis with an unprecedented oversupply of truss tomatoes driving market prices to as low as $4-$5 per 5kg tray – just 80 cents-$1 per kilo. This is well below the break-even price of around $8 per tray (or $1.60 per kilo) that farmers need to cover their costs, leaving…
Catering wholesaler DeliNova on Curaçao is truly a one-stop shop for all catering establishments on the island. “We supply everything the chef and cleaner need,” says director Ramon Oudhaarlem. However, the fresh produce segment remains the most significant part of the business, which serves around 400…
Agriculture is the top industry in North Carolina, and a growing sector of it is hydroponics: farming without soil or sunlight. Instead, it relies on a water-based nutrient solution. “The plants grow without any pesticides, herbicides, period. We don’t have to do that,” said Trevor Spear, the owner of…
ToBRFV is a constant threat to growers worldwide as it significantly reduces yields, affects the quality of the fruit, and systematically infects other plants. It is a very transmittable virus that can infect through soil, tools, water, and people’s contact. Hazera has been tackling this threat with its…
The Spanish raspberry season began well for Plusberries in Huelva at the end of September. “That positive trend lasted until mid-November, but then the market took a bit of a hit,” says Jan van Bergeijk. “On the bright side, we had excellent weather here, but that also led to a supply peak in the…
For the last 3 years, an EU-supported project has been working on improving GMO legislation in Ukraine. The Netherlands together with Poland and Latvia supported legislation analysis, and the development of regulations on GMOs and seeds, providing recommendations on their implementation. On November 21,…
Fresh IQ was recently launched as a new brand in the floriculture and fresh produce sectors. The brand results from a merger between WeDoDigital (WDD), GreenMatch, and Dataresultz, including its products Datagrowers and Plantix. “With this, we aim to support all companies in the floriculture and fresh…
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $98 million loan to improve horticulture crop farmers’ access to certified disease-free planting materials, which will boost their crops’ yield, quality, and resilience to climate impacts. The project will roll out a clean plant…
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs have granted financial support to the ‘FIND” consortium for competitive industry with AI, in the context of their research program called “Perspectief”. In the FIND (Foundation for Industry) consortium, KeyGene and another eleven…
The Egyptian strawberry season kicked off last week with limited volumes and accompanying high prices, but the pressure seems to have eased in the market since yesterday, says Alain Tulpin of logistics service provider Tulpin Group. “The season started a bit later this year, but starting later isn’t a…