Reader’s Digest: May 2024

In May 2024, we published the following articles:

• In California, labor costs are increasing and worker availability is decreasing, so farmers look at ways to automate transplanting. Fully automated transplanters are available on the market and their usage is expanding.
• Volumes and value of the past market in Africa
• Casalasco SpA Group closes 2023 with in increase of 27% in consolidated revenues and positivie indicators in terms of employment, markets and ESG.
• Tomato Paste Prices, April 2024: USA, Spain, Portugal, Italy, China and Chile.
• Cirio Alta Cucina launched a new passata for professional chefs and pizza makers, the Passata Extrafine della Toscana, made exclusively with Tuscan tomatoes and processed in Tuscany.
• La Doria achieved a 20.6% increase in revenue in 2023. This results from price increases, increase of volume sold, as well as significant investments in the last 5 years.
• In California's Central Valley, regulators imposed fees on water usage, due to excessive groundwater pumping, which led to depleted water levels and sinking of the land.
• La Doria Group, in collaboration with the precision agriculture company Evja, launched the Agricoltura 4.0 sustainability project. Results include 40% irrigation savings compared to last year.
• Global Exports of Tomato Paste, updated May 14, 2024.
• Xenon Private Equity acquired 100% of Solana's capital, previously detained by farmers for 60% and other investors for 40%. The goal is to create a pole of excellence for tomato products and other vegetables. Antonio Casana retains the role of CEO.
• CFT launched a new mechanical vapor recompression evaporator, the ART3MIS Longrun MVR. This new evaporator allows for extended operating times, improved steam efficiency and energy savings.
• In Italy, Maurizio Gardini was reelected president of Confcooperative for another 4 years.
• WPTC Crop Update as of 17 May 2024.
• In Argentina, the planted surfaces in Mendoza have decreased by 8% this season. The provinces of Mendoza and San Juan together represent 80% of the national processing tomato production.
• Artificial Intelligence is now transforming how we grow and eat food. From selecting and breeding plants, to increasing yields and quality while saving resources, to minimizing food loss during transportation, to optimizing work in the cannery, AI can help growers and processors do their job better.
• Prices of Canned Tomatoes, April 2024: Italy, Spain, USA, Greece, Portugal.
• Mutti reported an 18% increase in turnover in 2023, mainly generated by export markets.
• Euromonitor data shows that the Global Pizza Market is extremely polarized, with sales generated in two main regions, Western Europe and North America.
• In California, tomato planting is nearing completion. Luckily, the weather has not hindered the planting. However, following an emergency declaration, growers were allowed to use neonicotinoids to prevent damage to their crops.
• Global Imports of Tomato Products, updated May 29, 2024.
• The Italian Newlat Food buys Princes from Mitsubishi, a canning food group based in the UK and with a plant in Foggia for tomato processing).
• In California, processing capacity has been stable for the last four years.
• California's processors estimate their production for 2024 at 228,000 acreage, 10 percent below 2023.

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