Dutch banana trader eyes Venezuela, India and Africa as new sourcing frontiers.
'Though trading is in our blood, trading , in itself, is changing,' says Mark Greeve of Anaco Greeve. From ABC Westland in Poeldijk, the company supplies fresh produce year-round to wholesalers, food service companies, retailers, and green grocers in Europe and beyond. In the fruit segment, the focus is on bananas, and Anaco Greeve has its own ripening facility with a capacity of 50,000 boxes per week.
Source: freshplaza.com
West Asia war hits rice exports hard, mills reel under excess stock.
The ongoing West Asia conflict has dealt a severe blow to India's rice exports, leaving millers in key production belts grappling with unsold stock and mounting financial burden. Shipments that typically move out within three to four months of production — harvested during Dec-Jan — have now been stalled, with consignments stranded at ports and several truckloads returning undelivered. Raichur's rice milling sector has been hit particularly hard, with production dropping by nearly 50% due to the export freeze. Having already procured paddy from farmers and cleared payments, mill owners are now struggling to manage operational costs, including wages and electricity bills.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
NIST in Kerala develops 'designer rice' with 22% protein and low GI.
If all goes well, Kerala's fitness-conscious folk will soon be able to have their rice and eat it too! The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR NIIST) in Thiruvananthapuram has developed a designer rice with 22 per cent protein and a low GI of 54.
Source: onmanorama.com
India underreported rice, wheat price support: US, others to WTO.
The US, Australia, Paraguay and Ukraine have raised objections to the market price support given by India to certain agricultural goods in a submission to the World Trade Organization (WTO). They said India provides market price support for rice and wheat in excess of what it has reported to the global trade body. India’s market price support for rice appears to have been 86% of value of production for 2023-24 while the support for wheat is 69.4% of the production value, they alleged.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
India's exports to hold in March despite global turmoil, says Piyush Goyal.
India's trade remains resilient despite global disruptions and the deficit is manageable, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The country's exports have largely remained stable till February despite pressure due to rising freight costs and challenges around the Strait of Hormuz closure and are expected to hold in March, the minister said.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
India underreported rice, wheat price support: US, others to WTO.
The WTO landscape is heating up as India encounters objections from the US, Australia, Paraguay, and Ukraine regarding its agricultural support practices. These nations contend that India's reported market price support for rice and wheat is misleadingly low, pointing to substantial discrepancies.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Exporters, freight forwarders seek government help as war surcharges on cargo surge.
Exporters and freight forwarders have sought the government's intervention after global shipping lines began imposing steep war-risk surcharges on cargo to and from the Middle East. In some cases, the charges nearly doubled from previously negotiated rates, adding more pressure on trade facing severe turmoil due to the Iran war.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
India’s tea imports doubled in 2024-25.
India’s tea imports doubled in 2024-25 compared with the 2023-24 fiscal, while 33.5 million kgs were imported during April-January this fiscal, according to a reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said India imported 50.14 million kgs of tea during 2024-25 against 25.21 million kgs in 2023-24. In fact, India imported a significant quantity of tea during the first 10 months of 2025-26. India’s tea imports stood at 33.55 million kgs during April-January of 2025-26.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
Sugar output up 10% to 26.21 million tonne in 2025-26 marketing year so far: ISMA.
India's sugar production reached 26.21 million tonne so far in the ongoing 2025-26 marketing year, up by 10.5 per cent from the year-ago period, industry body ISMA said on Tuesday. The sugar output so far has exceeded the total net production of 26.12 million tonne in the full 2024-25 marketing year (October-September).
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
Iran war impacts Indian oilmeal exports.
The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) has said that the escalating conflict between Iran and the US and Israel has significantly disrupted India’s oilmeal exports, particularly to West Asia and Europe, due to instability around the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA, said the shipping companies are avoiding the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, causing detours that increase transit times and costs, which threatens the continuity of oilmeal exports to West Asia and Europe.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com