Vegetables News’ Post

From Field to Market: Prices for Peppers, Watermelons, and Eggplants Skyrocket in Spain by Nearly Five Times In August 2024, Spanish farmers faced an unprecedented surge in the price of several key crops, with green peppers, watermelons, and eggplants experiencing price increases of nearly five times by the time they reached the consumer market. According to data from the Food Price Index at Origin and Destination

In August 2024, Spanish farmers faced an unprecedented surge in the price of several key crops, with green peppers, watermelons, and eggplants experiencing price increases of nearly five times by the time they reached the consumer market. According to data from the Food Price Index at Origin and Destination

🍎 Why Are U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Farms Declining? 🌽 The U.S. is increasingly dependent on imports for fruits and vegetables, with production dropping significantly over the last two decades. Challenges like rising labor costs, lack of subsidies for smaller farms, and a focus on commodity crops are forcing many fruit and vegetable farmers to reconsider their future. With 60% of U.S. fruit and 38% of vegetables now imported, is it time to rethink our agricultural priorities? #Agriculture #USFarming #SustainableFarming #FoodSecurity #FarmPolicy #Grocery #GroceryNews

Repost pepper It has surely not escaped your notice that pepper prices have recently exploded. An increase of approximately 80% in just 5 weeks. Most of us have not experienced this in the past decades. We are not yet at the ‘all-time’ high of around EUR 10 per kg that we saw in 2015. Back then, we were dealing with a more gradual increase that took several years. What is the reason for this strong increase: - Stocks in Europe have significantly decreased. High interest rates and storage costs have led many users to keep minimal stocks. Relatively few forward contracts have also been concluded. - Vietnamese pepper farmers have significantly reduced their pepper gardens and replaced them with the cultivation of other more lucrative crops such as coffee and durian. Vietnamese production will continue to decline in the coming years because gardens are relatively old and vines are dying. - Vietnamese farmers, dealers, and speculators have made a lot of money this year from coffee and durian and are willing to invest these profits in pepper. - Regulations in Europe have become stricter and it is costly to grow compliant pepper. - Freight rates from Asia to Europe have doubled in the past period. - Brazil has faced negative weather conditions and poorer harvests for the second consecutive year. - Indonesia (still the largest origin in 2000) now plays only a marginal role in the supply of pepper. - There is a gap between supply and demand for pepper of around 80-100K annually and it is expected that these structural shortages will continue for a number of years. Our expectation for the short and medium term: The available stocks are currently small. Vietnam is expected to have around 80-100K available, but part of this is already committed by exporters under existing contracts. A large part is held back by farmers and dealers, and we depend on their mood if they want to release this pepper. Raw coffee prices are currently around 125K dong per kg. In the opinion of farmers, pepper should bring in twice as much as coffee (250K). The current price of raw pepper is 180K. This means there is still a potential increase of 70K Vietnam Dong per kg (EUR 3.00/kg At the moment, there are no harvests taking place. The next fresh pepper that will be available is from Indonesia (Aug 24) and Brazil (from Aug / Sep 24). A correction of pepper prices would be very welcome, but perhaps this will not happen until Aug / Sep, and even then, the correction could be limited and actually be a good entry point. It normally takes about 3 years between planting new vines and the first harvest. And after that, it also takes another 1 or 2 years before shortages are cleared and an oversupply can arise. The increase potential of the current bull run can therefore last for quite a number of years. It is not a question of if, but when the all-time high will be broken in our opinion. We advise our customers to take advantage of possible dips in prices to build up extra stock

Food-grade soybeans are stealing the spotlight with increasing premiums. Dive into the latest agricultural trends and explore the growing demand for premium-quality soybeans in the food industry. 🌱🍽️

🌾 Research reveals that Indian farmers receive a mere one-third of the consumer price for fruits and vegetables. Specifically, for staple items, farmers earn approximately 33% of the price for tomatoes, 36% for onions, and 37% for potatoes. In the fruit sector, the earnings vary: 👩🌾 #farmers get 31% of the final price for bananas, 35% for grapes, and 43% for mangoes in the domestic market. Interestingly, while the share of earnings for mangoes increases when exported, the share for grapes decreases despite higher overall prices. To mitigate these fluctuations, the research suggests several measures such as expanding private #markets and enhancing the use of the e-NAM platform. It also advocates promoting farmer collectives and relaunching futures trading. Furthermore, building cold storage facilities and encouraging solar-powered storage are recommended to improve efficiency in handling perishable goods. For short-term price stabilization, adjusting trade policies is advised. Long-term strategies focus on improving productivity and enhancing storage and marketing efficiencies. The integration of digital platforms like e-NAM is also highlighted as crucial. In addition to these recommendations for #fruits and #vegetables, the study suggests initiatives for dairy and poultry sectors, including creating feed banks and utilizing barren lands for grass cultivation. 💁♂️ Overall, improving the supply chain, expanding processing capabilities, using crop insurance, adjusting import duties, and leveraging digital tools to manage price fluctuations are essential steps proposed in the study to enhance farmers' earnings and stabilize prices in the #agricultural market.

(USA/GUATAMALA/NICARAGUA 04.06.24) #mangoes Guatemala and Nicaragua close their mango season [AG: Mango Production & Market Updates Australia?] Guatemala and Nicaragua have concluded their mango seasons as of May 25, 2024. Guatemala's season ended with a total volume of approximately 3.5 million boxes, while Nicaragua's season closed with around 455,685 boxes. In the U.S. market, the total mango volume shipped for the week ending May 25, 2024, was about 3,163,946 boxes, bringing the seasonal total to 40,818,261 boxes, which is 3% lower than the previous week. Mexico shipped approximately 3,141,144 boxes that week, totaling 36,858,097 boxes for the season, a 2% increase from the previous week. ----- [AG: Agronometrics Australia? Despite Australia's reputation for technological adoption and the professed support from numerous industry representatives and major retailers for Australian farmers and growers, there remains a severe lack of collaborative national communication and transparent, up-to-date fresh produce production and market updates. This critical gap leaves our farmers, growers as well as consumers vulnerable, relying on non-existent, outdated or incorrect data, which significantly hinders progress. Daily sales data in our wholesale markets is scarce, unreliable and often inaccessible without paid subscriptions. The available data lacks detail, accuracy and timeliness, rendering it ineffective for farmers and growers to make informed sales and marketing decisions that could enhance farm gate prices, sustainability and profitability. Technology that enables real-time recording, monitoring and reporting of fresh produce production and market updates throughout the supply chain is often dismissed in favour of post-farm gate operators who prefer to keep farmers and growers uninformed, thereby continuing to exploit them - the very individuals upon whom their business empires are built. Unlike some other countries, Australia lacks a cohesive national initiative aimed at offering freely accessible and up-to-date fresh produce production data, market trends and market analysis to our farmers and growers. This deficiency in timely market analysis across all sectors of our fresh produce supply chain is a significant concern for the industry. Furthermore, there is growing frustration with taxpayer-funded industry representatives who appear unable or unwilling to provide satisfactory solutions or effectively support the bottom line of their constituents. The failure to champion such initiatives raises serious questions about the advocacy in Australia for the empowerment of our farmers and growers.] ----- https://lnkd.in/g7S562wV

(AUSTRALIA 04.12.24) #tomatoes Tomato glut crisis: As prices plummet, who is standing by Australian farmers? [AG: Breaking Down the Tomato Industry’s Web of Half-Truths and Price Gouging] Australian farmers are facing a crisis due to an oversupply of truss tomatoes, with prices plummeting to as low as $4-$5 per 5kg tray, well below the break-even point. Retailers, however, are charging up to $6 per kilo, leading to concerns over price fairness. ----- [AG: Once again, transparency and honesty in the Australian tomato industry are nowhere to be found. We were bombarded with warnings about tomato shortages and sky-high prices due to the ToBRFV virus in South Australia, yet here we are with a glut of tomatoes on the market. The much-discussed "break-even price" of $8 per tray remains unsubstantiated, as no one is willing to investigate or report the true costs of production and post-farm gate logistics. Even Box Divvy’s claims about fair pricing fall flat without solid proof. Is paying an extra $0.40 per kilo above a vague $2.00 break-even price enough to support that tomato grower? It’s time for some real accountability and honest reporting in our industry.] ----- https://lnkd.in/gSJeFMZU

Although the dry weather is positive for the coffee harvest in Brazil, the weather conditions raise concerns about the next crop. “Coffee prices on Monday rose after Somar Meteorologia Ltda reported that the State of Minas Gerais region received no rain last week, compared to the week’s historical average of 2.6 mm”, according to Barchart. “The total harvest – arabica plus conilon/canephora – should reach 66.04 million bags, approximately 4.3 million bags below the last estimate… and practically in line with the past harvest”, according to Safras & Mercado consulting firm. (Barchart; Safras & Mercado) SLC Agrícola S/A announced a joint venture with Agropecuária Rica, involving the Fazenda Preciosa farm, located in the State of Mato Grosso. SLC will hold a 55% stake of the farm, and the other company will hold the remaining 45%. Fazenda Preciosa has an area of 21.8 thousand hectares if the potential for first and second crops is considered, and should initially be used for the production of soybeans and corn. (SLC Agrícola) Capal Cooperativa Agroindustrial announced a partnership with Sicredi Novos Horizontes PR SP and Sicoob Aliança to release US$ 6.91 million through the Coffee Economy Defense Fund – Funcafé. Resources will be invested in the north of the State of Paraná and the southwest of São Paulo. Approximately 600 associated coffee farmers will benefit. According to Amilton Burgo Brambila, financial director at Capal, Funcafé credit allows for an extension of the payment period for inputs after the harvest, better negotiation conditions with the supply chain and allows to seize purchasing and selling opportunities. (Capal Agroindustrial Cooperative) For Paraguay, GDP growth projection in 2024 remains at 3.8%. The agricultural sector showed a small increase of 0.4% in the last quarterly GDP, due to higher production of sugarcane, cotton, beans, yerba mate, etc. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, projections for the next quarter could be harmed due to the smaller harvest of off-season corn. (@Capeco; Midagri)

Although the dry weather is positive for the coffee harvest in Brazil, the weather conditions raise concerns about the next crop. “Coffee prices on Monday rose after Somar Meteorologia Ltda reported that the State of Minas Gerais region received no rain last week, compared to the week’s historical average of 2.6 mm”, according to Barchart. “The total harvest – arabica plus conilon/canephora – should reach 66.04 million bags, approximately 4.3 million bags below the last estimate… and practically in line with the past harvest”, according to Safras & Mercado consulting firm. (Barchart; Safras & Mercado) SLC Agrícola S/A announced a joint venture with Agropecuária Rica, involving the Fazenda Preciosa farm, located in the State of Mato Grosso. SLC will hold a 55% stake of the farm, and the other company will hold the remaining 45%. Fazenda Preciosa has an area of 21.8 thousand hectares if the potential for first and second crops is considered, and should initially be used for the production of soybeans and corn. (SLC Agrícola) Capal Cooperativa Agroindustrial announced a partnership with Sicredi Novos Horizontes PR SP and Sicoob Aliança to release US$ 6.91 million through the Coffee Economy Defense Fund – Funcafé. Resources will be invested in the north of the State of Paraná and the southwest of São Paulo. Approximately 600 associated coffee farmers will benefit. According to Amilton Burgo Brambila, financial director at Capal, Funcafé credit allows for an extension of the payment period for inputs after the harvest, better negotiation conditions with the supply chain and allows to seize purchasing and selling opportunities. (Capal Agroindustrial Cooperative) For Paraguay, GDP growth projection in 2024 remains at 3.8%. The agricultural sector showed a small increase of 0.4% in the last quarterly GDP, due to higher production of sugarcane, cotton, beans, yerba mate, etc. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, projections for the next quarter could be harmed due to the smaller harvest of off-season corn. (Capeco; Midagri) #pesticide #agrochemical #fertilizer #agriculture #agribusiness Агропортал agroxxi.ru Krishak Jagat