Unifortes | Industrial Cleaning Systems

France: Les Serres D'Isigny expands tomato greenhouse with another 4 hectare

Les Serres D'Isigny started growing tomatoes in 2020 in Normandy, France. Phase 1, an area of more than 80,000 square meters of cultivation area, along with a business area for processing, was given to Havecon in 2020, and in the same year, the construction of the greenhouse was realized and completed.…

First Dutch zucchini crop of the season: "Not only pretty but tasty too"

On Wednesday morning, February 1, the first young zucchini plants began flowering at CourgetteFleur Zwinkels in the Netherlands. That heralds the start of the 2023 season. The first CourgetteFleur and Fioretta's have been harvested, packed, and delivered. "It paints a lovely picture to see all these…

Russian growers supported with lease contracts

As part of the support of technical modernization of highly specialized branches of agriculture, Maxim Petrunin, Project Manager of the Department of Coordination and Business…

"We are seeing a high demand for robots right now"

At B2A, a northern Italian company, the number of requests for robotic equipment is constantly increasing. The company recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and will exhibit at Fruit Logistica. Pictured on the right: Barbara Doria (partner and head of administration and marketing) and Enzo Bassi (director)…

Sant'Orsola presents zero residue blueberries and raspberries

Sant'Orsola presents its "Zero Residue Family", which includes the 200-gram blueberry and raspberry mix to be launched in Italy in the spring. The new packaging is made of heat-sealed recycled PET. Through this, the cooperative strengthens its position in the berry market.   "Both have been welcomed with enthusiasm by consumers,…

Exotic produce grow in Nova Scotia greenhouse

Tart Chilean guava berries, plump persimmons the size of tomatoes, and pods of blue sausage fruit, also known as dead man’s fingers. This list sounds like an inventory of the world’s most magical fruit aisle, but in fact, all of this exotic produce (and more) is currently sprouting in a massive…

Micro greens, big impact: urban farm generates wealth, food, and education in underserved part of Chicago

Sustainable agriculture is all the rage, but Garfield Produce in Chicago is adding a unique twist: generating wealth in an underserved community by creating jobs - especially for ex-felons.  “About 70% of inmates released from Cook County Jail move here to East Garfield Park,” explained Co-Founder Mark Thomas.…

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UK: International Plant Health Conference 2022 report published

The official IPPC Secretariat report on the International Plant Health Conference 2022 has been published.  "The world's leading authorities on plant health came together for the world's first-ever International Plant Health Conference (IPHC), co-organized by FAO, the Secretariat of the International Plant…

Kenya: Tomato prices increased sharply over the last month

According to Consumer Price Indices and Inflation rates for January 2023 released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on Tuesday, the price of tomatoes jumped by…

How can young people be won over to chicory?

Chicory is losing popularity. Fewer and fewer people, especially the younger generation, are eating this vegetable—all the more reason to take action. Several Dutch chicory companies, including Reijnpack, are joining forces to get chicory back on consumers' plates more often. "The time of waiting to see…

UK: House of Lords Inquiry “significant step in acknowledging importance of Environmental Horticulture”

A new House of Lords Select Committee has been established to launch an inquiry into the Horticultural Sector and will convene this week in a move welcomed by the…

USDA funding for free energy and water-use benchmarking expiring soon for greenhouse and CEA operators

The deadline is approaching for greenhouse and CEA producers to take advantage of free energy and water benchmarking services provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through Resource Innovation Institute’s PowerScore platform. This service provides valuable analytics to empower…

High-tech test and innovation center for Dutch biostimulant producer

Soiltech, developer and producer of liquid foliar nutrition products and biostimulants, has started construction of a high-tech Test and Innovation Center at its main site in Biezenmortel, in The Netherlands. This building will have a size of 30 x 20 m and include greenhouses and test rooms. These should…

"Our snack pepper delivers an evolution to the pepper category"

A tropical adventure with flavor, that's what the pepper brand Tatayoyo is all about. Rijk Zwaan is very proud that this snack pepper has been nominated for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award 2023. They asked their chain partners and colleagues: What makes Tatayoyo so unique? And how is this snack…

Three new AVA™ strawberry varieties launched

Angus Soft Fruits are proud to announce the release of three new strawberry varieties, bred to produce delicious fruit throughout the winter season. Intended for production in the Mediterranean region, trials and tests over the past three years have proved they have something special to offer growers,…

“People tend to choose their coir pith based on EC, sand content and expansion volume”

Evergreen Exports in India manufactures and exports Coir pith, or cocopeat, a by-product of coir fiber extraction. The low EC premium 5 Kg Coir pith blocks the company produces have many applications and can be used in nurseries, greenhouses, home gardening, farming, horticulture, potting soil, hydroseed…

“We’re reaching a point where conventional costs more than organic”

"Things are ever dynamic and tumultuous, and no different for organic than conventional. The organic sector keeps gradually growing. Sometimes demand's too high; sometimes,…

An AI solution for supply chain introduced - Coldcha 2.0

LinkThings, a company specializing in supply chain technology, introduces a new multilingual platform, Coldcha 2.0. Users now have the option to monitor all shipments through one platform, with real-time monitoring data from various manufacturers enriched with additional information, such as air and…

"We offer overseas producers a total package access to the European market”

PEQ's Maarten Voois sometimes sighs when he learns that yet another overseas producer has set up a European sales office in the Netherlands. "We have such fantastic facilities to completely unburden overseas growers. So, by doing it themselves, they're financially shooting themselves in the foot," he…

UK: Nursery, registration, and supervision requirements to move or send plants for planting to the EU or Northern Ireland for non-commercial purposes

Plants for planting being moved from Great Britain to the EU or Northern Ireland for personal use, either in luggage or via post/parcel, need to meet EU requirements. For a full guide on EU requirements, please see…

Knowledge exchange at the hybrid seminar ‘From Farm to Fork China’ on February 22nd

The Chinese retail sector and the Dutch horticultural sector combine forces and organize the ‘From Farm to Fork China’ hybrid seminar in Shanghai on February 22nd. Chinese growers, governmental departments, education and training institutes, and individuals active in the field of protected horticulture…

Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium set for February 16

The ninth-annual Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium will take place on February 16 in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center on the Texas A&M University campus. The center is located at 1002 W. George Bush Drive, Bryan-College Station. The one-day research conference is for students, faculty, and…

Are you ready for the road to sustainable and profitable horticulture?

Plant Empowerment will hold a workshop on the road to sustainable yet profitable horticulture.  During the live workshop in Canada, the basic principles of Plant Empowerment will be introduced and further explained. Growers and other horticultural professionals are welcome to join the workshop, which focuses…

Event to focus on applied research in Canada's Agricultural Automation Cluster

Vineland is organizing a webinar on applied research focused on Canada’s Agricultural Automation Cluster. This event will showcase applied research and facilitate discussions on the future of automation in Canadian horticulture. During the event, Canadian scientists, engineers, companies, and end-users…

Photo report: three Israeli supermarkets' fruit and vegetable sections

During a visit to Israel, we visited several supermarkets in Jerusalem, Eilat, and Hadera. It is interesting to check out the assortment and see the prices. Where do the products originate from? How are they presented? And how is it going with the fourth range? Many products are locally sourced. Travel…

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Saudi: Al-Fadhli approves plan to increase agricultural production in greenhouses

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, who is also the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Development Fund, has approved the expansion plan in the plant resources sector and greenhouses with a new investment worth SR4 billion until…

3 tips for growing strawberries without daylight

"In a few years, indoor (vertical) farms have become popular for producing healthy food year-round in urban environments and harsh climates. Leafy greens and herbs are the most commonly grown crops, but growers are looking to expand to a much wider variety of vegetables and fruits. In our Philips…

Korean growers start aquaponic trial

The Gyeonggi Province Maritime & Fisheries Research Institute said Thursday it will set up and operate aquaponics fish farms, facilities that produce both fish and crops at the same time, in Gimpo and Icheon on a trial basis until next year. Unlike existing agriculture-centered operations, the…

Melotto named AAAS fellow for work in plant defenses against bacteria

Maeli Melotto, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences specializing in plant immunity, has been recognized as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.Maeli Melotto,…