2012 Year in Review - First Half
While the lives of produce traders and journalists are obviously very different, we all deal in products that are perishable to some degree.
The words we produce may have no nutritional value but what drives us at www.freshfruitportal.com is providing useful information for your daily consumption. The news moves at such a quick pace and with time can get lost amongst the chaos, like a box of cherries during Chinese New Year.
As 2013 draws nearer this calls for a period of reflection. In the first half of this Year in Review, we take a look at the events and issues that defined 2012. We invite you to look back on these yarns that we've dug up after 6-12 months in cold storage.
January
Brazil's largest grape grower plans new variety upheaval. Click here
Fruit overload hits HK with Chinese New Year logistical 'collapse'. Click here
U.S.: John Pandol offers advice over Chilean grape supply issues. Click here
New York port inspection changes cause delays. Click here
U.S. retail consolidation to continue, says Spezzano. Click here
Opinion: how fresh produce became cool. Click here
U.S. puts pressure on Indonesia over Jakarta port closure plans. Click here
February
U.S.: Market 52 files for bankruptcy. Click here
Tesco trials new shelf life extension packaging for fresh produce. Click here
The Hass-Horn: Peru's avocados set to take U.S. by storm. Click here
How Pink Lady plans to build North America’s most recognized fruit brand. Click here
Weather damages already hitting Mexican mangoes, says exporter. Click here
The blueberry paths ahead for Peru and Mexico. Click here
U.S.: greenhouse purchase agreement company expects growth in 2012. Click here
March
Tackling temperature ambiguities in the fresh produce supply chain. Click here
South African grape season fraught with difficulties. Click here
Papaya industry struggling with poor weather conditions. Click here
Opinion: toxic chemicals in U.S. packaging must go. Click here
Mexico pineapple exports set to jump with new packing plant. Click here
Panama pineapple exports set to double. Click here
Argentine pome fruit industry battered by hail, strikes and inflation. Click here
April
Chiquita's Fresh & Ready avocado pullout a 'shame', says supplier. Click here
New grape variety launched in Chile. Click here
Bulk blueberry shipping a future alternative for Chile. Click here
Fresh Connections Chile Special. Click here
Opinion: the scientific case for GM crops. Click here
Seawater greenhouses turning the tide of desertification. Click here
NZ: 'Let's bury the hatchet', new T&G CEO tells Zespri. Click here
May
Hortifrut gains McDonald's blueberry deal. Click here
Severe large gala shortage paves way for apple premiums, says Oppy. Click here
Queensland fruit fly detected in New Zealand. Click here
Facing Australia’s fresh produce oversupply hurdles. Click here
Spearheading asparagus marketing innovation. Click here
Argentine citrus exports nosedive in 2012. Click here
NZ: Maori mandate bolsters kiwifruit gains. Click here
June
The Hass-Horn: avocado market challenges ahead this U.S. summer. Click here
The Packaging Pitch: most QR code users forget marketing 101. Click here
The drivers behind low U.S. fruit and vegetable prices. Click here
Costa Rican port strike 'a worry' for pineapple industry. Click here
Canada: GM apple trial sparks export fears among growers. Click here
Horticulture must wean off tillage, says leading scientist. Click here
Developers harness phages for foodborne illness prevention. Click here