PMAC weekly update 30th March to 6th April

1. Government agencies: ICPR Changes WTO Notifications; Customs Covid 19 information

2. New Zealand News: Business Forum Welcomes Interim WTO Arbitration Arrangements; Waikato berry grower ordered to pay $76k for labour law breaches; Freshmax board recognises team effort; Independent grocers troubled as supermarket sales triple; First organic pumpkin delivery from New Zealand; T&G Global receives approval to acquire Freshmax New Zealand’s domestic business; First new season shipments of JAZZ™ apples head to Hong Kong and Malaysia; Importing first batch of New Zealand kiwifruit in 2020; Australia: Fall armyworm detections rise

3. International news: GAIN reports; Cosco sees low economic growth in 2019 results; Peru's blueberry area is expected to increase by 35%; Understanding the cost of production in Australia; Liquidseal Fruits explores Asia; Soil Association suspends fee increase; Japanese autotech giant Denso invests in Certhon; DiMuto eyes Latin American expansion; Freshfel's latest Headlines ; Campaign leaves major footprints in transforming the welfare of women working in floriculture sector; Green crop protection works, but it is difficult to measure; How plant factories stack up against field agriculture; Singapore wants to grow local; Pesticide residues in food: track trends with EFSA's browsable charts; Watercress has more calcium than milk and more vitamin C than oranges; Microwave technology to assist the fruit and vegetable supply chain; "Mold-free strawberries? Yes, please!"; British-Indian Group develops compostable film

CommentSurprisingly despite the ongoing chaos Covid 19 has brought to the world there are still a good number of non Covid articles appearing in International media -although some of them are obviously being prompted by the pandemic. For example in the sustainability section you will see a couple of articles on vertical farming. These are samples of the less commercial articles about protected growing but there are a good number of other articles being posted which talk about the advantages protected farming provides for individual businesses and how the sterile environment produces clean safe produce.

In the New Zealand section, there is evidence that our exports are continuing despite the lockdown with news about the arrival of apples, kiwifruit and squash at their markets .

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Also, of note is the fact that T&G Global were given permission last week to purchase Freshmax.

Internationally what interested me most this week is the fact that technology and automotive companies are moving so definitely into Horticulture . This is a trend that has been happening for some time and which I can only see increasing once the food security issues raised by Covid 19 drive business investment.

1) Agency News

1.1. ICPR changesThe following ICPR have been updated

Costa Rica has been updated with

requirements for Capsicum spp. and Solanum lycopersicum , the addition of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus as a Quarantine Pests and minor updates to sections 3.3.2 Bulbs/tubers/corms/rhizomes, 3.3.3 Whole Plants and 3.4.1 Seeds, Grains and Nuts for Sowing.

Colombia has been updated with the addition of Drosophila suzukii to Appendix 1. Quarantine Pests as Notified by Colombia.

European Union has been updated ICPR has been with the

Removed additional declaration for seed for sowing of Triticum spp., Trifolium spp., and Cruciferae and removed wording “additional declaration not required, unless specified” for seed for sowing of Poaceae under section 4.4.1.

Added word ‘note’ to separate from the additional declaration for fresh fruit and vegetables of Apium graveolens, Capsicum spp., Citrus spp., Fortunella spp., Ocimum spp. (leafy vegetables), Poncirus spp., Prunus spp., Solanum

aethiopicum, Solanum lycopersicum, Solanum melongena under section 4.1.

Added word ‘note’ to separate from the additional declaration for cut flowers and foliage of Chrysanthemum spp., Dianthus spp., Gypsophila spp., Solidago spp under section 4.2.

Minor amendment to wording of point 3, under section 4.3 Appendix 1.

South Korea has had its Quarantine Pest List updated

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Taiwan has been updated with Updated requirements for Growing Media and Quarantine pest list as per emergency measures notified by Taiwan see Importing Countries Phytosanitary Requirements

1.2. WTO Notifications Please find attached the most recent WTO notifications from countries that are considering changes to their plant import requirements for specific products. If you have any concerns about the notifications being presented please contact Plant.exports@mpi.govt.nz so that they can potentially make a submission to the notifying country. Changes notified over the last week include:

Canada and USA MRL Switzerland ( harmonising with EU regulations for plant health Taiwan changing fees for plant quarantine-

The embedded files for the last week (which has links through to the original

notifications)is available here

The following TBT notifications have also been recorded

G/TBT/N/BRA/778/Add.1 Brazil EN

Adoption of risk management measures applied to control and inspection activities, imported goods and products under sanitary surveillance.

G/TBT/N/THA/567 Thailand EN

Proposal to withdraw the list of hazardous substances attached to the Ministry of Industry Notification re List of Hazardous Substances B.E 2256 (2013).

G/TBT/N/USA/424/Add.5 USA EN

Amendment to the Lacey Act to require importers to submit a declaration for plants and plant products.

1.3. Customs Covid 19 information The Customs web site has a good range of Covid 19 information on its webs site including:

Who can enter Quarantine requirements Customs duty and GST Movement of essential and non-essential goods Contact for trade enquires

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See https://www.customs.govt.nz/about-us/news/media-releases/coronavirus-update/

2. New Zealand News

Commentary 2.1. Business Forum Welcomes Interim WTO Arbitration Arrangements New Zealand has joined 15 other members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including the European Union and China, in establishing an arrangement that will allow them to bring appeals and solve trade disputes among them despite the current paralysis of the WTO’s Appellate Body.https://www.tradeworks.org.nz/business-forum-welcomes-interim-wto-arbitration-arrangements/and a guest blog post on the same topic https://www.tradeworks.org.nz/guest-blog-asia-pacific-collaboration-is-the-best-strategy-for-covid-19/

2.2. Waikato berry grower ordered to pay $76k for labour law breachesAn investigation of Olde Berry Farm uncovered employment breaches related to 304 employees. The berry farm and its director were ordered by the Employment Relations Authority to pay $76,532 for employment law breaches uncovered by the Labour Inspectorate.

The business, on Tapware Rd, Matangi, south of Hamilton, was ordered to pay $50,000 in penalties and $16,532 in unpaid minimum wage and holiday pay. Managing director Andrew Peter Molloy was made personally responsible for an additional $10,000 in penalties. The farm came to the Labour Inspectorate's attention in 2017, when it investigated another farm, Matangi Berry Farm, which operated on the same orchard. Full article available here

2.3. Freshmax board recognises team effortDiversified produce business attentive to Covid-19 situation, with key sale still firmly on the cards

Freshmax Group chairman, David Smith, has confirmed the company remains committed to the sale of its New Zealand domestic operations to T&G Global.The deal, announced late last year, is currently awaiting approval from the New Zealand Commerce Commission. Smith also took the opportunity to praise the continued efforts of employees across the diversified fresh produce group, as its teams strive to ensure continuity of essential services following the outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19). Based

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on the group’s latest board meeting, Smith said: “Directors were most impressed by the diverse range of interventions and extensive efforts that staff right across the businesses have been committed to during these changing and challenging times.“In a recent open letter to staff, Murray McCallum, Freshmax Group CEO, said the company was actively following the Covid-19 situation and taking action to manage the risks to the health and safety its people.  To guide the business through this period, Freshmax Group has appointed Ruth Knight to the position of group project director. “This appointment signals the absolute commitment that Freshmax senior management and our board place on the health and wellbeing of our staff as our number one priority, and also our focus on business continuity,” said McCallum. “Our first priority has to be our people, but this is followed very closely by efforts for and support of our supply chain partners and customers.” Full article available here

2.4. Independent grocers troubled as supermarket sales triplePrices all over New Zealand have been high for many necessities as people stockpiled, but one food group that doesn't work well with stockpiling is fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable retailer Glenn Forsyth said panic buying had affected prices, and smaller stores like greengrocers needed to be allowed to continue trading. The problem of high prices lies with panic buying putting pressure on supply chains.

The stock that big supermarkets usually don't take, and that then goes to groceries and independent stores, also makes for a problem. Forsyth said some of the misfits and odd bunch ranges would go to supermarkets but it was a problem that needed addressing. ”There's a lot more produce than this to go around which is why we need the greengrocers to stay open and keep competition alive with prices to us, the public ... with restaurants, greengrocers and independent stores closed, the supermarkets have tripled their business overnight. This puts an incredible amount of pressure on the supply chains to these stores, not to mention that they have more of a captive audience and can charge handsomely as a result. It's not only the greengrocers but the butchers and bakers too, we're pushing people away from other outlets and confining them even more in one spot."Full article available here

2.5. First organic pumpkin delivery from New ZealandFrom the Netherlands "We got organic pumpkins from New Zealand in March. They are top quality from the best soil and fantastic climate. We have the Orange Summer variety grown there. This is a great, flavourful, and aromatic variety with a Brix level of 14.The New Zealand season will go as planned through to May." Full article available here

2.6. T&G Global receives approval to acquire Freshmax New Zealand’s domestic business

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T&G Global welcomes the New Zealand Commerce Commission’s decision to approve its acquisition of the domestic division of Freshmax New Zealand. T&G Global CEO, Gareth Edgecombe, says the acquisition will bring together two of New Zealand’s leading fresh produce companies, providing a superior partnership for growers and retailers. . This will provide growers with improved access to markets, and for retailers a platform which simplifies their ability to access high quality fruit and vegetables.

T&G will now move to satisfy all of the conditions of the acquisition, with the view to completing the purchase by the end of April 2020. “Our immediate priority will be the smooth integration of the two businesses, which in light of COVID-19, is occurring at a time of increased demand from supermarkets. Full article available here

2.7. First new season shipments of JAZZ™ apples head to Hong Kong and Malaysia

New Zealand’s 2020 apple harvest is in full swing and T&G Global. While COVID-19 is creating some uncertainty in terms of global trading, T&G Global is continuing to export to most of its 45 international markets.

“Over the past week, the first shipments of JAZZ™ apples have headed to ports in Hong Kong and Malaysia, with further shipments to China, Thailand, Belgium, UK and the Middle East on track to leave over the next few days. “Across Asia we've seen some softening in demand, however orders across most markets remain steady and we’re currently shipping to plan. Full article available here

2.8. Importing first batch of New Zealand kiwifruit in 2020On Wednesday, the first batch of kiwifruit imported from New Zealand arrived at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai. According to Shanghai Customs, the shipment consisted of over 1 million boxes of kiwifruit, weighing about 4,500 tonnes. Full article available here

Biosecurity 2.9. Australia: Fall armyworm detections riseThe Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) has now been detected in the North Queensland regions of Ayr, Home Hill, further south in Bowen and in Katherine, Northern Territory. This brings the total number of confirmed detections to nine since the first identification of Fall armyworm on mainland Australia in mid-February 2020.

Due to the fast movement and reproduction rates of the Fall armyworm, the Consultative Committee in Emergency Plant Pests determined it is not feasible to eradicate this pest from Australia.

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State and territory governments continue to work alongside Greenlife Industry Australia and various other industry groups to further understand and assess host preference and response strategies for ongoing pest management. Full article available here

3. International news

Comment 3.1. GAIN reportsGain reports are from the “Global Agricultural Information Network” and are produced by the USDA. They are designed to provide timely information on the economy, products and issues in foreign countries that are likely to have an impact on United States agricultural production and trade. The information in them is written for USA exporters but the majority is equally relevant to New Zealand. With regard to import regulations for a particular market New Zealand exporters should first check the countries ICPR on MPI’s web site. These are collated specifically for New Zealand product. However, the Gain reports often provide additional information that is useful e.g. on grading and labelling, economic profiles. To see the full report, go to the Gain web site (https://gain.fas.usda.gov/) and search for the country and any reports released in the last month. This week see:

a) El Salvador eliminates tariffs for certain food products and sets maximum sale prices due to COVID-19 604 tariffs have been temporarily eliminated and as of March 30th, the government set maximum sales prices for basic food products sold at the wholesale and retail level.

b) Temporary EAEU Export Ban on Some Food Items On March 31, 2020, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), introduced a ban on exports from the EAEU of a number of food products, most notably sunflower seeds and soy beans, as part of the EAEU coronavirus pandemic response. The export ban will come into effect on April 12, 2020, and will last through June 30, 2020.

c) COVID19 Pummels German Food Service Sector The German food service sector has been hit hard by COVID-19, with sales down 50 percent to restaurants, airlines, caterers of public institutions like universities and schools in March 2020 compared to one year ago.

d) Japan Provides COVID-19 Emergency Funding to Producers and Food Manufacturers

e) Kyrgyzstan Draft Amendments to Phytosanitary Regulations Notified to WTO Comments required by May 4, 2020.

f) Qatar Exempts Food Products From Customs Duty For Six Months The Government

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exempted all food and medical products from the country's five percent customs duty for a period of six months. This relief must be applied to the final selling price offered to the consumer.

Business/ Industry3.2. Cosco sees low economic growth in 2019 resultsOn March 30, Cosco Shipping Holdings Co., Ltd. announced its 2019 annual results.In 2019, global economic and trade situation faced severe challenges. Economic growth had hit a new low since the financial crisis, and the demand growth in container shipping had slowed year-on-year.

Looking forward to 2020, the Company will pay close attention to challenges brought by COVID-19 to the global economy and shipping market. While boosting confidence, the Company will continue to focus on high-quality development, innovative development and coordinated development, and keenly grasp opportunities in the industry to continuously optimize the Company’s international development path in the fast-changing environment. For the full announcement, please click here.Full article available here

3.3. Peru's blueberry area is expected to increase by 35%The increase in blueberry production in Peru in the last decade has been so considerable that it has positioned the country as the world's largest exporter of this fruit. In this campaign (2020/2021), the surface is expected to increase by 35% over the previous campaign, reaching a total of 14,789 hectares. The greatest expansion of the crop is taking place in the northern areas of the country. Full article available here

3.4. Australian horticulture reaches record high production valuesThe latest edition of Hort Innovation's Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook has shown that the sector has recorded its highest production value to date, in 2018/19. It reports that the sector has experienced seven years of consecutive growth, with the new data showing industry growth by 8.4 per cent or a $1.1billion annual increase to reach a total value of $14.4billion. The average compound annual growth rate over the last five years has been 5.6 per cent or a total of 31 per cent.

The entire fruit category had an increase in production of just one per cent, but the value increased by nine per cent to $5.5billion. It was a similar story in the vegetable category, with a volume increase of less than one per cent, but a jump in value by nine per cent to $4.7billion.The article provides a lot of information about individual crops, their production and exports

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To access Hort Innovation’s Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook 2018-19, visit: www.horticulture.com.au/hortstats. Full article available here

3.5. Liquidseal Fruits explores AsiaExpanded regulations in China and Japan will allow Liquidseal Fruits to bring its post-harvest protective coating to new markets. Liquidseal Fruit’s chemical-free, post-harvest coating is applied to the non-edible peels of fruits and vegetables such as avocado, citrus, mango and papaya. It is also environmentally friendly, biodegradable and compostable. The coating acts as a barrier-type packaging that provides protection or fruit during every step in the supply chain. This results in an extended shelf-life, maintained product quality and reduction of product loss during the process of post-harvest, transport, storage and sale. Full article available here

3.6. Soil Association suspends fee increaseThe Soil Association has frozen its annual planned fee increase for all organic licensees as the coronavirus pandemic puts huge pressure on businesses across the fresh produce industry.The previously communicated annual increase was due to come into effect from the 1st April, and would have applied to all organic schemes run by the certification body. Soil Association stated it would review the fee increase at the end of September 2020.

The organisation also said it had suspended physical inspections and are currently reviewing the option of remote or desk-based inspections. Full article available here

3.7. Japanese autotech giant Denso invests in CerthonDenso, the second largest advanced automotive technology supplier in the world, has announced its investment in Certhon, to expand horticulture business in the global market. Denso and Certhon will collaborate to develop and provide greenhouse solutions.

Denso will develop next-generation greenhouse technologies, such as fully automated indoor farming, and sell greenhouse package solutions tailored to the diverse needs of countries across the world.Denso’s Long-term Policy 2030 launched in 2017 has identified non-automotive business as one of its four focus areas and has defined agriculture as a key pillar under the non-automotive field. Until now, Denso has contributed to the improvement of productivity in the agricultural field and the stabilization of cultivation environments through climate control technologies.

In the future, Denso will contribute to sustainable agricultural production through industrialization, and will provide new value to the agri-food sector by establishing an integrated food value chain business. Full article available here

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3.8. DiMuto eyes Latin American expansionTrade solutions platform and blockchain specialist, DiMuto, has secured funding from Latin Leap, a venture capital studio focussed on opening opportunities in Latin America for South East Asian tech scale-ups. In a press release, DiMuto highlighted the considerable growth in fruit and vegetable production and exports across Latin America, in particular tropical fruits such as bananas, avocados, pineapples and mangoes.

The Singapore-based company utilises blockchain, IoT and AI in digitalising the agri-food supply chain for data visibility and trade transparency. It has a presence in seven countries including the US, China, Indonesia, Australia and Mexico. Full article available here

3.9. Freshfel's latest Headlines Freshfel's1 latest Headlines for the period February / March 2020 are now available here... The Headlines gives an overview of the most recent Freshfel activities.

In this edition Freshfel Europe recounts the following: Freshfel Europe supports F&V sector during COVID-19 outbreak in Europe Freshfel Europe contributes Farm to Fork Strategy stakeholder consultation

meeting  Freshfel Europe takes part in Civil Society Dialogue with Trade Commissioner

Hogan Freshfel Europe participates in EU-Lebanon Technical Meeting on Exports for

Fresh Fruits Freshfel Europe sends fresh fruit and vegetable sector’s priorities position to EU

Chief Negotiator’s team Freshfel Europe discusses fruit and vegetable sticker regulation with European

Commission Freshfel Europe continues work for facilitation of rules for the Certificate of

Inspection of Organic imports – rules finalised now Freshfel Europe presents business perspectives during GIZ Trade Facilitation

Project Gil Kaufman joins Freshfel Europe Secretariat 

1 Freshfel Europe is the forum for the European fresh fruit and vegetable chain. Freshfel Europe represents its members at European and international level, ensuring a diverse, sustainable and robust European fruit and vegetable sector.

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3.10. Campaign leaves major footprints in transforming the welfare of women

working in floriculture sectorMore than four years ago, Hivos embarked on a major campaign to address and improve the working conditions of women working on the horticultural value chain: the Women@Work Campaign. At that time, women in this value chain were asking for help, facing a number of human rights violations. But in 2020, faces of happiness and stories of success in improving their welfare can be told.

This is the reason why the Women@Work Campaign partners, who are behind a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the plight of these women, converged in Zimbabwe in February to take stock on the gains made under the Campaign and explore opportunities for future engagements. The partners, drawn from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, affirmed the need to use both dialogue and dissent strategies to help secure the gains made so far. The majority of the participants endorsed the dialogue approach, which they said have helped them to make inroads in the farms and push for the plight of women workers within these farms. . Read more at Hivos (Faith Muiruri) Full article available here

3.11. Green crop protection works, but it is difficult to measure. Last year the seed breeder and agricultural chemical giant Syngenta announced that they would change course. The company is investing $ 2 billion dollars to counter the effects of climate change. In doing so, it aims to bring at least two technological breakthroughs to the market each year that reduce agriculture's contribution to climate change and help keep agriculture within the planet's capacity.

All our efforts must ultimately lead to improved soil health, resource efficiency and habitat protection in key agricultural areas worldwide. A practical example: we invest in limiting spray drift (fanning out resources to places they are not intended for, ed.). Our investment policy goes much further. While previously there was little support for investments in, for example, sustainable energy if the payback time was too long, there must now be a sustainable component in all investments that we as a company undertake worldwide and the payback time no longer plays the leading role. Syngenta has also developed a reward system for employees who provide innovative ideas.”Read more at Syngenta Flowers Full article available here

3.12. How plant factories stack up against field agricultureWith the world's population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, estimations project that food production must increase by 70 percent to keep up with worldwide demand. This means farmers will be required to grow more foodstuff in the next 35 to 40 years than the last 10,000 years combined. There is presently not enough farmable

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terrain to meet this constraint, and due to the negative environmental impacts of global deforestation (including desertification and flooding), clearing more forest for cultivation is not a sustainable option. Vertical farming, with its potential benefits, may play a major role in addressing the growing food demand while minimizing environmental impact.

NASA reports that the majority of the world's fresh water supplies are draining faster than they are being replenished with freshwater demand set to increase by 55 percent by 2050. Currently, agriculture is responsible for 92 percent of the global freshwater usage, creating a challenge for even developed countries such as the United States, China and Australia.

Approximately 1.3 billion tons of food destined for human consumption gets lost or wasted each year globally, discarded anywhere along the supply chain, from farmland to supermarkets, restaurants and home consumer.  

Some of the obvious benefits of vertical farming for is year-round crop production for both human and livestock consumption, consistent quality, and predictable output. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) holds other environmental benefits, requiring less fertilizer being applied to plants, reducing water usage up to 95 percent and, through weather-proofing, eliminating the need for chemical pesticides. CEA technology allows for faster growth cycles and quicker harvests, meaning more food can be grown every year, in a much smaller space than on a conventional farm.Read the whole story here.  Full article available here

3.13. Singapore wants to grow localThe recent cases of panic buying and the lockdown put greater urgency on Singapore's '30 by 30' goal to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. Singapore, which saw several bouts of panic buying after the move to orange in the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition alert last month, is working closely with six nations to tackle disruptions to trade and supply chains that could impede the delivery of vital goods, including food and medicine.

In his Resilience Budget speech last Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat reassured Singaporeans that there is an "adequate supply of safe food" and the Government is "strengthening our food resilience for the long term". One way is through the "30 by 30" goal to produce 30 per cent of Singapore's nutritional needs locally - a figure that currently stands at less than 10 per cent - by 2030.

According to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the 77 leafy vegetable farms here, including 25 indoors and two on rooftops, accounted for 14 per cent of total consumption last year.Local farms, as well as the authorities, are working to ramp up production. Many already have their produce on online grocery platforms and at selected supermarkets and wet markets. Full article available here

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3.14. Pesticide residues in food: track trends with EFSA's browsable chartsEFSA has published its annual report on pesticide residues found in food in the European Union. The report is based on data from the official national control activities carried out by EU Member States, Iceland and Norway and includes both targeted and random sampling.

A total of 91,015 samples were analysed in 2018, 95.5% of which fell within legally permitted levels. For the subset of 11,679 samples analysed as part of the EU-coordinated control programme (random collection), 98.6% of samples were within legal limits.

The report gives a snapshot of the presence of pesticide residues in food in the EU and any possible risk to consumer health. EFSA also carried out a dietary risk assessment as part of its analysis of the results. This suggested that the food commodities analysed in 2018 are unlikely to pose a concern for consumer health. However, a number of recommendations are proposed to increase the efficiency of European control systems, thereby continuing to ensure a high level of consumer protection.To see the charts and graphs, please click he Full article available here

Health 3.15. Watercress has more calcium than milk and more vitamin C than

orangesNasturtium officinale or watercress is a cruciferous, relative of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, turnip, and radish. It grows in the springs, streams, and riverbanks, although it can also be cultivated.

Watercress has fifteen essential vitamins, in addition to a large number of minerals. It has more calcium than milk and more vitamin C than oranges, a property that explorer James Cook used in 1768 to prevent his crew from suffering scurvy on long ocean voyages.

In addition, watercress is a good source of vitamin A –also known as retinol–, manganese, zeaxanthin, lutein, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, thiamine, and pantothenic acid. Full article available here

Innovation3.16. Microwave technology to assist the fruit and vegetable supply chain

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In time of Coronavirus, for FIT Srl it is worth mentioning the effectiveness of its process solution that uses microwaves for the microbial stabilization of fruit and vegetables, in order to extend the shelf life, as well as to improve hygiene and food safety. This article provides information on this companies products Full article available here

3.17. "Mold-free strawberries? Yes, please!"Botrytis cinereal and other common fungal diseases of strawberry -powdery mildew and anthracnose. pose big problems for growers, who traditionally apply fungicides to control them.

Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation has been studied as a way of killing microbes by damaging their DNA,. They demonstrated that UV-C irradiation of strawberry plants—followed by a period of darkness—resulted in drastic kill of the Botrytis pathogen, the powdery mildew fungus, and anthracnose. In fact, the technique increased UV-C’s killing power 6- to 10-fold, depending on the pathogen, with no damage to the leaves, flowers, or fruit. A bonus? The treatment also reduced spider mite infestations, and that could mean less pesticide use, too.

They’ve filed a patent application on the technology, which is now called PhylloLux and includes applications of two beneficial yeasts. They have also automated the technology for large-scale applications. The scientists are working with an industry partner to develop a robot that can treat a field of strawberry plants at night on commercial farms. Full article available here

3.18. British-Indian Group develops compostable filmA new compostable plastic film, called BioFreshPak, has been developed by a team of experts led by Nextek in the UK and MIT in India and backed by Innovate UK and the Newton Fund.

BioFreshPak is made from a blend of starch from cassava processing waste and other compostable polymers, and slows moisture loss and enhances storage stability of food during transport, even at high temperatures. Full article available here

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