Record orange juice prices are expected to escalate orange juice production as growers increase deliveries for processing. Growers are diverting oranges from the export market and local sales towards processing on favorable prices. Good rainfall in the Spring of 2023 ensured sufficient rain for irrigation across all citrus producing regions. Production of all citrus types is expected to improve in both volumes and quality in MY 2023/24. However, the Northern production regions experienced some dry conditions during the growth period which led to smaller sized fruit, reducing the percentage of fruit that meets export specifications. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon exports for MY 2023/24 are revised downwards on smaller fruit size and diversion to local processing …

Please download the full citrus crop production forecast: www.nass.usda.gov

Since December 1, 2021, Alexander John has been strengthening the team of ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA GmbH, Ludwigsburg as Head of Sales. At the expert for tanks and process technology for the brewing, beverage and liquid food industry, Alexander John will be responsible for sales in Africa. “We are pleased that we were able to win over a brewing technologist with such a profound knowledge of the process and plant industry. Together with him, we will further intensify our activities on this emerging continent. We are convinced that our product and service portfolio is extremely attractive for the given framework conditions there”, says Florian Schneider, Managing Director of Sales and Marketing of ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA GmbH. For example, on the African continent, other starch sources are often used in addition to the usual raw materials, such as malt, which can be covered in a tailor-made way by the wide range of ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA’s in-house lautering technologies.

Alexander John is a trained brewer. After graduating as a brewing engineer, John worked as a project engineer and international sales manager for many years. An almost one-year stay in Nigeria for a large brownfield project for a global beverage group strengthened his affinity for the African market. “I am looking forward to supporting the companies in my sales area with my practical knowledge. Together with our customers, we will find the perfect solution for every challenge and plant size”, John summarizes.

Alexander John supports the customers in Africa from the headquarters in Ludwigsburg.

New South African facility will produce sustainable nutrition solutions for consumers across the continent

Kerry, one of the world’s leading taste and nutrition companies, officially opened the largest and most advanced taste manufacturing facility on the African continent. The new EUR 38 m facility is located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and will produce sustainable nutrition solutions that will be consumed across the African continent.

The new 10,000 m² facility is one of the company’s most environmentally efficient manufacturing sites with numerous sustainability features including low energy usage equipment, solar power generation to reduce consumption from the local grid, waste heat capture and efficient water capture, reuse and reduction.

Kerry is also expanding its Development and Application Centre in Nairobi, Kenya to further support customers in East Africa and the development of sustainable food processing for the continent.

Hazera, a global leader in the seed industry, recently introduced the Polimore, a small, tasty, firm seeded watermelon with an exceptionally long shelf life, to the African market. The hybrid fruit was developed to improve on the local watermelon, whose lack of taste, quality, firmness and disease resistance – plus short shelf life and prohibitive price – resulted in very low market demand.

The easy-to-grow Polimore’s adaptability to African conditions will provide a boon. Its long shelf life benefits all involved in the marketing chain – farmers, distributors and consumers – and enables export to neighboring countries without negative results (consumers can still eat the fruit several days after purchase). The Polimore’s total yield – and the price obtained for the crops – are generally higher than those of the traditional watermelons.

Consumers prefer the taste, size (two to three kilograms), shelf life and reasonable price of the Polimore watermelon to those of the larger ones to which they were accustomed. The growth of consumer demand has shown the growers that the switch to Polimore benefits everyone.