Reader’s Digest april 2019

In April 2019, we published the following articles:

• The 2018 final subsidies figures for Spain and Portugal have been published.
• WPTC Crop update as of 29 March 2019
• Weather update on February 2019 for the main production regions, with overall slightly higher temperatures.
• In New-Zealand, harvest conditions have been exceptional and the harvest is nearly finished.
• Namibia is planning a processing plant to produce tomato paste.
• Researchers from China and the University of South Australia published the first study to verify the link between foods high in antioxidants and a lower risk of age-related cataracts.
• US Inventories on March 1^st are approximately 8.2 million tons, with an inventory down 6.2%.
• A study, conducted at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico, evaluated the variation in anti-oxidants among eight tomato genotypes with different color fruit.
• Results of a new study, conducted by researchers at UCM, Spain and NIZO Food Research, The Netherlands, show a positive anti-platelet aggregation effect from a supplement made from tomato paste.
• A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the OI of Northern Italy and the OI of the Central South basin, in order to better manage the supply chain policies and promote the production and valorization of Italian industrial tomatoes.
• In Italy, 5,9% of the tomatoes were organic tomatoes in 2018, and surfaces dedicated to organic tomato crops continue to expand.
• In the US, the surplus inventories have not been this low since March 2015.
• Italian, Californian and Chinese Tomato Paste Prices, as of 15 April 2019
• Presentation of the Tomato Foundation Health Claim Consortium
• The Ontario Agriculture Minister is planning for a complete overhaul of the vegetable processing industry's pricing system.
• In spite of a small dip in German purchases of tomato products, Germany remains the first importer of tomato paste with 246 000 mT imported.
• China opened a new freight route to EU, the Skyworth Express Railway, which only takes 14 days from Chengdu to Poland.
• Kazakhstan initiated a construction project: a plant with a capacity of 24.000 tonnes of tomato paste.
• Table tomatoes and processing tomatoes have in common some plant-health emergencies such as tuta absoluta and the New Delhi Virus, but the way of dealing with those issues varies from country to country.
• The Tomato News website added a new feature: the WPTC database of researchers, which brings together industrials and researchers.
• In Spain, COEXPHAL reported that the parasitoid wasp Necremnus tutae is perfectly able to control the major pest Tuta absoluta.
• In Ontario, the OPVG is disappointed by the government's decision to move to a direct contracting model, and worried that it will lead to fewer growers and a lower price for the crop.
• A French specialized magazine, 60 Million Consommateurs (Consumers), reports that tomato products benefit from a fairly positive reputation in terms of "quality" and "health"
• In Italy, 2018 turnover increased by close to 3%, with a 2% increase on exports, mostly from canned tomatoes.
• In the context of the 2019 National Production Plan, a tomato paste factory in the food industry complex of Altagracia de Orituco, in the north of Venezuela, will return to service.

 
You can find the individual articles in the NEWS list and/or search by keyword, date etc.