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Ukraine simplifies import laws for seed samples

Dutch seed companies can now expect faster approvals and reduced bureaucracy when importing to Ukraine seed samples for research and breeding purposes.

Legal framework
The seed industry in Ukraine is primarily regulated by the Law of Ukraine “On Seeds and Planting Material” and the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Rights to Plant Varieties”. These laws establish the legal, organizational, and economic basis for the production, certification, and marketing of seeds and planting material, as well as the protection of plant breeders’ rights. The regulatory framework aims to ensure high-quality seed production, facilitate international trade, and promote innovation in plant breeding.

Recent changes
In a significant move that promises to benefit international seed importers, the Ukrainian government has recently approved an improved procedure for importing seed samples into the country. This development, announced on September 11, 2024, marks a crucial step towards enhancing Ukraine’s agricultural sector and fostering international cooperation in plant breeding and research.

Key Changes
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has amended the existing regulations governing the issuance, refusal, reissuance, and cancellation of import confirmations for seed and planting material samples. These changes are designed to optimize the process of importing seed materials for research and breeding purposes, addressing a long-standing need in the industry.

Highlights of the new procedure include:

Simplified documentation requirements for seed importers
Streamlined approval process, reducing bureaucratic hurdles
Enhanced transparency in the decision-making process
Provisions for expedited processing of urgent import requests

Opportunities for Dutch companies
For international seed companies expanding their activities on the Ukrainian market, these changes represent a significant opportunity. The new regulations are expected to reduce the time and costs associated with importing seed samples, potentially accelerating the introduction of new varieties to Ukrainian agricultural production.

Moreover, this regulatory update aligns with Ukraine’s broader efforts to harmonize its agricultural policies with international standards, particularly those of the European Union. As Ukraine continues its path toward EU integration, such measures are likely to create a more favorable environment for foreign seed companies looking to expand their presence in the country.

Industry experts predict that these changes could lead to an increase in collaborative breeding projects between Ukrainian and international seed companies, fostering innovation and potentially boosting Ukraine’s agricultural productivity in the long term.

These changes are part of a larger trend in Ukraine’s agricultural policy. In June 2023, Ukraine introduced significant regulatory changes in the seed sector. The government of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 964, which defines the procedure for importing into the territory of Ukraine seeds and planting materials that are not in the Register of Plant Varieties of Ukraine, but are included in the List of Plant Varieties of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for those certification schemes which Ukraine has joined. Read more

Furthermore, Ukraine has been actively aligning its plant breeders’ rights (PBR) system with European standards. The Ukrainian PBR system now closely mirrors the European system, requiring plant varieties to meet novelty, distinctiveness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) criteria.

The recent changes demonstrate Ukraine’s commitment to modernizing its agricultural sector and integrating with global markets. For international seed companies, this presents an opportune moment to explore or expand their presence in Ukraine’s promising agricultural market.

Source: Agroberichten Buitenland.

The Top Seven

These are FreshFruitPortal.com’s top seven stories of the week.

Chilean group Empresas Sutil agrees to acquire National Raisin Company

Chilean company Empresas Sutil has reached an agreement to acquire California-based Sunshine Raisin Corporation (National Raisin Company), a company dedicated to the dried fruit industry.

“The Bedrosian family and National Raisin Company are delighted to be part of this new global approach to dried fruit marketing. This event will bring greater stability to the global raisin market. More importantly, it will benefit California raisin growers, generating a direct positive impact from a global market perspective,” said J. Kenneth Bedrosian, chairman of the board of directors of National Raisin Company, in a statement.

Major port strikes in the US looming

The U.S. supply chain is in a state of alert over the possibility of strikes by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) at East and Gulf Coast ports after union members voiced their unanimous support for the Oct. 1 strike if a new contract meeting doesn’t materialize their demands.

CNBC reports that the strike would impact 43% of all U.S. imports and billions of dollars in trade monthly.

The impacts and strategies of Westfalia’s avocado expansion in Asia

Graham Young, COO of Westfalia told FreshFruitPortal.com that these openings provide an exciting new set of opportunities for South African growers and exporters of avocados.

First of all, Young pointed out that the population size of India, China, and Japan collectively offer an “extraordinary number of new consumers for South African avocados.”

Guatemalan avocado industry preparing for 2025 U.S. debut

In late March, Guatemala’s Hass avocado sector achieved a significant step towards gaining access to the United States market. APHIS then confirmed the fruit had met risk-assessment standards and could advance to a public comment period regarding the fruits’ market access. With the consultation process now completed, the sector hopes to receive a final confirmation “any day now”.

Peruvian avocado in the final stretch of the season with low production

“Currently, we have a slightly more optimistic outlook than a few months ago, prices have behaved better, compensating, to some extent, the drop in volume that most producers have experienced.” This is how Juan Carlos Paredes, president of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Hass Avocado of Peru (ProHass), defined the current context of the Peruvian avocado industry.

Record year for horticulture exports according to USDA’s latest ag trade outlook report for 2024-25

The USDA has shared its Economic Research Service and Foreign Agricultural Service Situation and Outlook Report for August, which places agricultural exports in Fiscal Year(FY) 2025 forecast at $169.5 Billion and imports at $212.0 Billion.

University of Florida uses artificial intelligence to improve strawberry disease detection

University of Florida scientists’ newly published research shows artificial intelligence (AI) can improve leaf wetness detection.

Although Florida’s strawberry season starts in December, UF/IFAS works year-round to find ways to manage strawberry diseases.

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Opinion: Hamas’ impact on agriculture

For the state of Israel, Oct. 7, 2023, was devastating. It has had a profound impact on every aspect of life, including, more than is realized, agriculture.

Israel has become a global leader in agriculture research and technology providing guidance to Jordan, Africa and even California. Agriculture has become a major part of the Israeli economy. Israel feeds itself and exports several billion dollars in agricultural products, all from a desert.

Israeli leadership on drip irrigation technology is widely recognized, but Israel also is blending the water with the nutrients needed by the land. In addition, Israel also is powering the irrigation system with solar energy and experimenting with salt water for irrigation.

The Oct. 7 attack took direct aim at Israel’s agriculture leadership and devastated many farming communities, including dairies, 100,000 acres of agriculture land, and vital farming equipment. The western Negev Desert, where 70% of Israel’s produce grows, was the primary target and is critical to the nation’s food security. Agriculture was not collateral damage; it was one of the intended targets.

It is instructive to look back to understand how a small, desert country became a leader in agriculture technology, intent on helping to feed a hungry planet?

Israel is a country with limited water resources. Its climate ranges from Mediterranean in the north to semi-arid and arid in the south. Although the state of Israel was created in 1948, the desert started to bloom much earlier. The Agriculture Research Organization was founded by Yitzhak Volcani in 1921 to provide cutting edge agricultural research.

ARO’s research has focused on:

Agriculture under arid conditions and on marginal soils
Irrigation using recycled wastewater and saline water
Crop cultivation in protected environments
Freshwater aquaculture under conditions of water shortage
Minimization of produce losses through pest control and post-harvest storage methods
Seed banking
Breeding and development of new strains of crops and domestic animals better suited to adverse conditions

In short, agriculture predates the state of Israel.

The Volcani Center is the Agriculture Research Agency of the Israeli Department of Agriculture; the Volcani International Partnerships is their NGO. USDA has entered into a Partnership with Israel for Bilateral Agriculture Research and Development to promote collaboration among US and Israeli scientists and engineers.

On Oct, 6, 2023, Volcani and Israel were working with USDA, the Tony Blair Foundation, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and many other international partners to fight global hunger. Immediately after Oct. 7 they set up ReGrow Israel, a new organization to support Israel’s farming communities. Today, Volcani and Israel are planning to make the desert bloom all over again. They must protect Israel’s food security, help stabilize the economy of Israel, and then again turn to global hunger.

Clearly, that challenge has gotten more difficult. Hamas has made it more difficult but so has global warming, drought in the Horn of Africa, and the invasion of Ukraine, among other challenges. The point is that the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7 has had a global impact on food security.

Marshall Matz is senior counsel at OFW Law in Washington, and the is he founding chairman of the World Food Program, USA. He dedicates this op-ed to Danielle Abraham, the director of the Volcani Partnerships and ReGrow Israel.

Boar’s Head closes facility linked with deadly listeria outbreak

Boar’s Head announced Friday it plans to indefinitely close its Jarratt, Virginia plant, which produced deli meat linked to a deadly listeria outbreak.

The site, which ceased operations in July, had a history of food safety issues, including 69 violations between Aug. 1, 2023 and Aug. 2, 2024. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service representatives reported finding mold, rusted equipment and insects at the facility.

Since the outbreak began in July, 57 illnesses have been reported, all of which led to hospitalizations. Nine people have died.

The company also shared a suspension notice from USDA that lists “inadequate controls” and sanitation that allowed bacteria to potentially spread through the facility.

“In response to the inspection records and noncompliance reports at the Jarratt plant, we will not make excuses,” the company said in an announcement.

Boar’s Head is also permanently discontinuing liverwurst, after an internal investigation found the root cause of the listeria outbreak was a specific production process that only existed for the product at the Jarratt facility.

The company initially recalled about 207,528 pounds of product on July 26 after traceback data found the liverwurst made at the plant may be contaminated with listeria. Days later, it recalled an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. This included 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 that were distributed nationwide.

All products made at the facility were recalled out of precaution after testing confirmed a link between the liverwurst and the listeria outbreak.

“It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees. We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers,” Boar’s Head wrote in the announcement. “But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course.”

In addition to closing the plant, Boar’s Head said it is immediately implementing enhanced food safety measures. This includes the appointment of a new Chief Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer who will report directly to the company’s president. Boar’s Head is recruiting for this role now.

Additionally, the company will establish a “Boar’s Head Food Safety Council” with independent food safety experts. Frank Yiannas, former deputy commissioner for food policy and response at FDA, and Mindy Brashears, former USDA undersecretary for food safety, are two of the four founding council members.

Finally, the company has created an enhanced food safety and quality assurance program that will be led by the chief officer. The program will be developed in partnership with the new council and other food safety experts.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to our customers and to the safety and quality of our products,” the company wrote. “You have our promise that we will work tirelessly to regain your trust and ensure that all Boar’s Head products consistently meet the high standards that you deserve and expect.”

For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd collaboration to launch in early 2025

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd operational collaboration Gemini Cooperation is slated to launch in February 2025, an official release said. The team-up seeks to “deliver a flexible and interconnected ocean network with industry-leading schedule reliability above 90% once fully phased in”.

With around five months to launch, the companies recently shared an update covering finalized service maps and how the network has evolved since the announcement in January 2024. The logistics giants are also presenting an alternative Cape of Good Hope network due to the ongoing disruptions in the Red Sea.

“Reliability, connectivity, and sustainability are the keywords in the networks we are presenting today, and we are pleased that we now can give our customers full transparency about how we will deliver a best-in-class ocean network so they can begin planning despite a highly dynamic situation,” said Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen.

Gemini Cooperation is expected to announce which network it intends to put to sea in February 2025 some time in October.

“We are looking forward to the launch of our completely redesigned network next year, and we are happy to reconfirm that our schedule reliability target remains unchanged irrespective of which network we will phase in. We believe our collaboration will raise the bar for reliability to the benefit of our customers and set a new and very high standard in the industry,” added Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc.

Depending on which network the cooperation will phase in, the new network consists of either 27 or 29 efficient ocean mainliner services supported by an extensive network of 30 agile, intraregional shuttle services. The collaboration will comprise of either 300 or 340 vessels.

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Florida International University professor named USDA fellow

FIU horticulturist Amir A. Khoddamzadeh was selected as one of nine science fellows for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program.

The program offers faculty from Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving School Districts the opportunity to work collaboratively with USDA to gain insight into the federal government and to build a more diverse pipeline into public service and the agricultural sector.

The 2024 cohort — including education, high school, and science fellows — spent one week in Washington, D.C., this summer to learn how USDA services and programs can benefit them, their students, and their communities. They also each got to spend an additional week at a location of their choice to collaborate with top scientists from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Food Safety and Inspection Service, or the U.S. Forest Service.

Khoddamzadeh chose to go to Riverside, California, and work with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit. That connection will pay off for the agroecology graduate students working on salt stress adaptations and regenerative agriculture in his Conservation and Sustainable Horticulture Lab as he introduces them to the ARS scientists he met out west.

Next year, Khoddamzadeh will host members of USDA agencies on campus so they can interact with students and recent graduates interested in internships and other opportunities.

Mr. Khoddamzadeh

“This fellowship has provided me with invaluable opportunities to enhance our research collaborations and to foster the development of our students,” Khoddamzadeh said. “I am deeply honored to be part of such a distinguished program and look forward to contributing to our shared goals by informing the students about the great opportunities and internships with different agencies at USDA.”

The E. Kika De La Garza Fellows Program is a key component of USDA’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program, dedicated to supporting a 21st-century agricultural workforce through professional and workforce development. In partnership with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the program has provided high-quality internship experiences to more than 3,000 interns since 1994.

“This year’s class of fellows is the largest so far and a testament to the program’s success,” said Lisa R. Ramírez, director of USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.

For Khoddamzadeh, this fellowship is another way to give his students opportunities for success. Earlier this year, he spent his sabbatical at the USDA ARS Subtropical Horticultural Research Station in Miami. Now, there are six graduate and five undergraduate FIU earth and environment students working on projects related to climate change and adaptation to various ornamental plants and food crops.

Source: FIU.

Mexican lime prices set to rise amid ongoing issues

In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, we look at the state of Mexican lime season. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

Mexican limes are encountering significant hurdles this season because of intense heat and excessive humidity which are greatly impacting the quality and availability of the crop.

These climate conditions have resulted in as much as half of the lime yield being lost during the grading process, with issues like light coloring and skin breakdown worsening during transit. These challenges are anticipated to persist until mid-September leading to strained markets.

Efforts to mitigate the situation include extensive quality control inspections, repacking, and enforcing cold-chain procedures to preserve the fruit. However, weather disruptions in key Mexican lime growing areas, like Veracruz, are causing tight availability across all lime sizes and packaging types. Rain is expected in the coming days, which could further disrupt harvests and drive prices even higher. In response, many buyers are turning to alternative sources like Colombia, which offers year-round, high-quality lime production.

Despite these measures, the market is expected to stay constrained until the new winter lime crop is harvested later in September or October. The prices are likely to keep increasing as demand outpaces supply.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

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Gevo announces purchase of North Dakota ethanol plant and sequestration site

Biofuel company Gevo is aiming to bolster its network for low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel feedstocks through the $210 million purchase of an ethanol plant located on a North Dakota carbon capture site.

Gevo announced Thursday it was buying the 65-million-gallon-per-year Red Trail Energy ethanol facility along with its 500 acres of land, and would lease another 5,800 additional acres in the Broom Creek formation in southwestern North Dakota. The plant already sequesters around 160,000 metric tons of carbon annually, but has a total sequestration capacity of 1 million metric tons per year, Gevo said in a press release.

The acquisition secures a key source of low carbon intensity ethanol for Gevo, one of the companies angling to be on on the ground floor of sustainable aviation fuel production in the U.S. Red Trail Energy currently distributes low-carbon ethanol to Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta, Gevo said.

The location provides an “ideal” site for producing sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, Gevo President and COO Chris Ryan said in the release.

“This site is extremely well set up,” Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber said in a press call Thursday. “It has the [carbon capture and sequestration] already baked and it works, it’s operating. It’s one of three sites in the whole country that have ethanol CO₂ capture. It’s really good.”

Gevo expects to close the transaction by the first quarter of next year, depending on regulatory approvals and closing conditions. It plans to pay for the plant and the land through both cash and asset-level debt, according to the release.

Gevo is planning to retain the 50 employees currently working full-time at the plant.

For more news, go to www.agri-pulse.com.

APHIS expands the Citrus Greening (Huanglongbing) quarantined area in California

Effective immediately, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is expanding the areas quarantined for citrus greening (Huanglongbing; HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, in California.

APHIS is expanding the quarantined area in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties by approximately 50 square miles. Additionally, APHIS is expanding the quarantined area in Ventura County by approximately 0.7 square miles. APHIS is taking this action because of citrus greening detections in plant tissue samples collected from residential properties in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and Ventura Counties. There is no commercial citrus impacted by this expansion.

APHIS is applying safeguarding measures on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas in California. These measures parallel the intrastate quarantines that CDFA established on August 1, August 5, and August 22, 2024. This action is necessary to prevent the spread of citrus greening to non-infested areas of the United States.

The specific changes to the quarantined areas in California can be found on the APHIS Citrus Greening website. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.

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USDA trade mission in Vietnam underway

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor arrived in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this week to launch a USDA-sponsored agribusiness trade mission.

Taylor leads a delegation comprised of officials from 60 U.S. agribusiness and farm organizations and nine state departments of agriculture seeking to develop and expand business opportunities with importers in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.

Vietnamese consumers, importers, and retailers recognize exports of U.S. agricultural and related products to Vietnam, which totaled nearly $3.5 billion in 2023, for their reliability, quality, and sustainability.

U.S. tree nuts, fresh fruit, poultry, beef, and pork are in particularly high demand by Vietnam’s food processing, retail, and restaurant sectors.

“Throughout the week, the participating companies will meet with businesses from Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam to foster strategic partnerships that lay the groundwork for future sales,” Secretary Taylor said.

The delegation is also joined by CDFA Secretary, Karen Ross.

Agriculture plays a huge role in our bilateral trade relationship, and Vietnam now ranks as the United States’ 10th-largest export market for agricultural and food products,” added Taylor.

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