Iran's fig farms are experiencing a draught for the next coming crop season.

The average level of rain during the spring season has been decreased by 45% comparing last crop season which is not to the benefit of the new crop.

In addition, the good news is that the baby figs trees have not been affected during the cold winter by the frost as many other agricultural crops of Iran such as grapes which are grown in the same region.

Rising summer temperatures could make parts of the UK too hot for wine-making by 2080, a book has predicted.

It says it could mean the end of vineyards in the Thames and Severn valleys and parts of Hampshire. Instead, the land could be used for raisins, currants and sultanas, says the author Prof Richard Selley, formerly of Imperial College London.

His research suggests many parts of the UK could grow "hot weather" grapes such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Climate forecasts indicate that global warming could increase summer temperatures in the south of England by up to 5C by 2080.

The research is contained in The Winelands of Britain: Past, Present and Prospective, by Professor Selley. He said: "I have been able to map how British viticulture could change beyond recognition in the coming years."Grapes that currently thrive in the south-east of England could become limited to the cooler slopes of Snowdonia and the Peak District."

His previous work has demonstrated how the boundary of wine production in the UK has advanced and retreated because of the climate since Roman times. Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College, said: "This research shows how the environment in the UK could be affected by climate change in a relatively short period of time.  "Increases in temperature over the course of this century could have a dramatic effect on what can be grown here, including vines."
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BBC NEWS WEBSITE, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7419717.stm 

Food Week, Australia- The Federal Court has found that the packaging of a number of Arnott’s biscuits in the Snack Right range is misleading.
Following action taken by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Federal Court declared that Arnott's Biscuits Limited breached the Trade Practices Act 1974 by engaging in conduct likely to be false, misleading or deceptive in relation to the packaging and labelling of the following Snack Right products: Snack Right Apple & Blackberry Fruit Pillow; Snack Right Wild Berry Fruit Pillow; Snack Right Apricot Fruit Slice; Snack Right Apricot and Yoghurt Fruit Slice; and Snack Right Mixed Berry Fruit Slice.
The court declared that the Snack Right packaging falsely conveyed to consumers an overall impression that the filling in the biscuits consisted predominantly of the fruits referred to in the name of the product and depicted on the packaging. In fact, the biscuit filling consisted mainly of other fruits, such as sultanas.
For example the Apple and Blackberry fruit pillow biscuit filling contains approximately 1.7% blackberry concentrate in comparison to 38.8% sultanas, 12.9% apple concentrate and 8.6% dried apple concentrate. The packaging describes this product as being “crammed with apples, blackberries and sultanas”.
The Apricot Fruit Slice filling also contains approximately 1.7% apricot, but this is in comparison to 64.8% sultanas and 10.5% apple juice.
“This outcome is a strong reminder to the food and beverage industry and those responsible for food labelling that the overall impression is important,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said. “Businesses must ensure that the key principles of misleading and deceptive conduct are considered during the design stage of product packaging. In particular thought must be given to how a consumer may interpret the labelling representations.
“The ACCC Food Descriptors Guideline reiterates this view. If food featured in a product name or pictured on a label only constitutes a small percentage of the product, it may be inappropriate to give it a disproportionably large emphasis as consumers may be misled about the composition of the product.”
Arnott's has undertaken to the court that it will: amend the packaging of the Snack Right products refrain from similar conduct in the future; and publish a corrective notice on its website.
Arnott's has further agreed to review its trade practices law compliance program and agreed to contribute to the ACCC's legal costs.

Farmers throughout California are reporting widespread and considerable frost damage, although crop losses in Northern California appear to be most significant. As farmers assess the impact of last weekend's cold snap, they're becoming dismayed as the signs of damage mount.

Freezing temperatures damaged leaves and nuts on these walnut trees in Tehama County. Photo by Kathy CoatneyLast weekend, nighttime temperatures dropped into the mid-teens in some areas and stayed well below freezing for many hours through Monday morning. These subfreezing temperatures hit at a time when vineyards and fruit and nut trees put forth tender shoots, flowering buds and developing "nutlets."

The unseasonable cold appears to have badly damaged winegrape vineyards in many parts of the state. Allied Grape Growers says some of its members are finding only light damage, whereas others report more than half of their crop may be lost.

Peach, prune and walnut farmers also are finding extensive damage in their orchards. Agricultural commissioners, however, caution that it may be the middle of May before the extent of damage can be estimated accurately.

In some areas the cold may have penetrated into the wood, damaging the interior of trees and vines. This damage is slower to manifest and therefore can go unseen for weeks.

In response to the cold, farmers did crank on irrigation systems, run wind machines around the clock and respond to alarms triggered by low temperatures. In some areas these tactics may not have been enough to protect crops in the earliest stages of development.

"Usually this time of year we're more concerned about frost damage to our almond crop," said Tod Kimmelshue, whose family farms in Butte County and who is a California Farm Bureau Federation director. "But the almonds didn't get much damage during this cold weather event.

"What did get damaged in the northern Sacramento Valley is the walnut crop. Historically farmers don't do much frost protection for walnuts. This freeze came out of nowhere and hit at the worst possible time for walnut growers.

"Now, there's a real possibility that the young walnut trees will have wood damage. Even with serious damage, the trees probably won't die, but it will set production back at least a year."

"We had pretty severe crop damage in our peaches," said Sarb Johl, who farms in both Yuba and Sutter counties. "With walnuts it's still a little early to tell, but we have a lot of pit burn. With peaches, we've got some orchards that are a complete wipeout. Other orchard acres are damaged, but the severity is unknown at this stage--it could be 50 percent to 75 percent."

With peaches, he said, "If the pit freezes, it's like shutting off the heart of the fruit. After that nothing works. We're already seeing the young fruit turning black and shriveling up."

County agricultural commissioners are collecting information that could lead to disaster declarations, but it will take more time to determine the extent of economic loss. In some cases, it's clear that individual farmers may see crop losses approach 80 percent to 100 percent, depending on location and crop.

Experts urge farmers with frost damage to notify their crop insurance agents and county agricultural commissioners. Losses on the scale being seen now will need to be documented in the event disaster claims need to be filed in the future.

Following is a roundup of initial damage reports by region:

Sacramento Valley

Sutter County Agricultural Commissioner Mark Quisenberry said reports are coming in that walnuts, particularly in Butte County, were hit hard. "Temperatures in Butte dropped to 24 degrees. We got down to 29 in some pockets."

"The Prune Bargaining Association said that growers in the Chico area suffered serious losses, in some cases 100 percent. In Sutter County, our preliminary prune losses range from 25 percent to 100 percent, depending upon the pocket where the crops are being produced when the low temperatures hit.

"We also have damage to late-variety walnuts, peaches and to a more limited extent, canning tomatoes."

He also noted that diversified growers who serve farmers' markets with crops like beans, squash and cucumbers have been hard-hit, as well.

Another segment hit by the cold snap may be tree nurseries that usually graft vulnerable budding stock for commercial orchards at this time of year, Quisenberry said.

Newly planted orchards also are vulnerable to severe cold and last weekend's temperatures may have caused damage to tree wood, as well as external tissue.

Johl said that while there's crop insurance available for peaches, the margins for producing the crop often don't pencil out when additional premiums are factored in.

Beyond catastrophic coverage, he said, "it's hard to justify the cost of the premium compared to the risk. This cold spell is very unusual and you don't often see this level of damage at this time of year."

In orchards with new plantings, he said there are trees that completely burned and the leaves have already fallen off the young trees.

North Coast

Winegrape growers throughout Lake, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties are calling last weekend's low temperatures the worst spring frost in decades and say they expect millions of dollars in losses to the winegrape crop when the full extent of damage is known.

"We experienced pretty widespread frost in the state's grape growing areas, both Sunday and Monday morning," said Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers.

"We've heard from our growers in Lake, Napa and Sonoma. Depending on the location of the vineyard, in some cases, damage is from 5 to 10 percent, in other cases we're getting reports from growers of 50 to 80 percent, depending on grape variety and vineyard location

"So, damage is widespread and Kern County growers have been affected as well. And, even though growers have had wind machines running for days and they applied water, in some cases it didn't prevent damage."

Grapevines can rebound with secondary buds, DiBuduo said, but these typically aren't as fruitful as primary buds.

San Joaquin Valley

In Tulare County, many areas were glazed with frost, but Tulare County Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Marilyn Kinoshita said it's still too early to know the extent of damage and loss. In some eastern pockets, temperatures lingered in the 27 to 28 degree range for many hours, which can damage citrus, one of the county's major corp.

So far, Kinoshita said formal damage assessments haven't been filed by growers or citrus groups with the commissioner's office.

When all damage to all crops in Tulare County is tallied, she doesn't anticipate that countywide it will reach the 30 percent threshold needed for a disaster declaration. She cautioned, however, that damage assessments are still highly preliminary.

"We noticed some varietal and maturity differences in damage that appeared in Tulare County vineyards. Location appears to be an important determining factor in the extent of damage. With Thompson seedless grapes, one of the earliest varieties to be harvested, our inspectors saw a wide range of damage, some of it severe.

"We also looked at a pomegranate orchard and the damage there may result in a complete lost crop for 2008 for that grower," she said.

In addition, Allied Grape Growers said it received reports of vineyard damage in Clements and into the Turlock area.

There also has been some damage reported to plums in the Exeter and Porterville areas. The extent of damage is not yet known. However, orchards in that area usually have a heavier set than plum orchards at lower elevations.

Cherry growers say they will continue to inspect their trees for signs of damage, but that they believe the crop did not suffer harm from the cold snap.

Central Coast

Frost damage is being reported to vineyards in the Paso Robles area, although the extent is preliminary. Growers in that area are reporting nighttime temperatures during the weekend as low as 27.

Strawberry farmers say temperatures stayed above freezing and their crops escaped damage, though chilly temperatures slowed growth of the berries somewhat.

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation

Publication date: 4/24/2008

When Disaster Hits

Iran’s new vine crop (2008) is facing the most damaging frost season in 50 years.

The frost has caused millions of dollars in losses for Iranian grape growers. In Some areas the grapes growers have given up annual fertilizing and ploughing the vineyards. Depending on the area, frost damage in the different regions ranges from 15 to 70 percent, with some vineyards escaping any damage.

An interview With Siamak Shahriari – CEO of ARAT Company

01-May-08

Iran’s National Television Corporation (IRIB) had an interview with Siamak Shahriari – CEO of ARAT Company as an exemplary entrepreneur in Food industry.

During this program Siamak Shahriari were asked about how he started this business and how the company was founded, the challenges that the company was facing and his vision of the future. The recording session took almost 2 hours which took place at Arat’s office in Tehran.

The program will soon be shown on the Iran’s national television. We’ll try to upload the related link on IRIB’s website once it is shown on the television.

 Call it grapes gone loose. Disagreement over just how many unattached table grapes can be sold in a package as U.S. Grade No. 1 has created a rift between California growers and produce sellers. They’re debating whether there should be a change in the standard. For three years, California growers of what is more than a $1 billion crop have been trying to get the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow more separated grapes to be included in packages.

Growers are being penalized for what is really only "a potential defect, and that’s not right", said Barry Bedwell, president of the Fresno-based California Grape and Tree Fruit League. "As long as the berry is detached and whole and sound, the consumer is OK with it." But some buyers disagree. Brendon Cull, director of government and regulatory affairs for the Kroger retail food chain, told regulators in a letter filed during a comment period that loose grapes don’t sell.

Cull said a USDA proposal to increase the number of loose grapes is "unacceptable to many customers and families who want their grapes to be fresh and attached to the stem.” Cincinnati-based Kroger operates 2,400 grocery stores. Comments on proposed change by the Agricultural Marketing Service closed March 27, and regulators are now reviewing them. Currently, loose grapes count toward a 12 percent to 15 percent "tolerance" for imperfections under the No. 1 standard. Under the agency’s Feb. 26 proposal, an additional 5 percent of loose grapes in containers wouldn’t be counted as defects. If enough defects are detected and the grade is lowered, the grower is paid less.

Bedwell said the additional 5 percent tolerance for a bunch of 60 grapes is three loose grapes. He cited a survey conducted by the Fresno-based California Table Grape Commission that said that more than 80 percent of shoppers considered grapes with "shatter levels" of up to 10 percent to be of "excellent, very good quality." The survey found that 98 percent of shoppers said they'd purchased grapes with some berries detached from the stem, said Kathleen Nave, commission president. “It is a normal experience and not something that bothers consumers.”

In 2005, the California grape industry petitioned the USDA requesting that an additional 10 percent be allowed, double the current request. Rule makers withdrew that proposal last year, citing a lack of consensus in the industry. Growers filed a second petition for 10 percent last October. The government’s current proposal said the figure was too high.

Grower Dan Gerawan of Gerawan Farming in Reedley filed a letter with regulators in 2006 opposing a change. "It's not good for the industry or the consumer", he said.
Gerawan favors creating a new grade for loose grapes, "U.S. No. 1 High Shatter."
Chic Kandarian, who grows table grapes in the Fowler-Selma area and other regions, including the Coachella Valley, said research is being done on ways to better package separated grapes in bags.

He said a trend to packaging bunches of grapes, which has accelerated in the past 20 years, is better for consumers, retailers and growers. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of the crop now is packaged. Previously, grocers sold grapes in mounds. Loose grapes that fell off the bunches were left, and retailers took the loss. "They were left at the store or in the shipping container", Kandarian said. "The grower is paid by the pound, and there could be a few pounds in each box that the grower wasn't paid for." Today, most grapes are bagged in the field. Kandarian said precautions are taken to avoid loosening the grapes.



Source: thenewstribune.com

Publication date: 4/9/2008