18.04.2024

2024 AgroInsurance Conference - Presentations from Partners and Sponsors

Swiss Re (Switzerland), Generali (Serbia), Planet Labs (USA),GAF AG (Germany),Agremo(Serbia), Skyglyph AG (Bulgaria)andK. M. Dastur (UK/India) are the confirmedpartnersand sponsors of theConference. The topics from our Sponsors and Partners will cover specifics of underwriting approaches, product design andtechnology innovations in agriculture insurance, when applying earth observation data facilitating proper informed decisions.

18.04.2024

USA - Banana industry's future in the face of challenges

Bananas, a significant source of potassium, are enveloped in their own biodegradable packaging, making them a convenient and widely consumed fruit in the US. They play a crucial role in the American diet, with their consumption exceeding 20% of the total fresh fruit intake, which has expanded from 92 to 136 pounds per person annually over the past 50 years.

18.04.2024

Latvia - Early April heatwave impacts fruit farming

In Latvia, an early April heatwave has prematurely awakened flora, leading to the blossoming of plums, apricots, cherries, and the greening of apple and pear trees. This abrupt seasonal shift has prompted concerns among fruit farmers as a subsequent drop in temperature and expected frosts threaten plantations.

18.04.2024

South Africa - Uncertainty looms over winter crop planting season

As South Africa navigates through the aftermath of El Niño, its agriculture sector braces for the significant impact it could have on the upcoming winter crop season. As the country approaches the winter planting season, concerns loom over the potential challenges posed by limited rainfall.

18.04.2024

Birds, beetles, bugs could help replace pesticides

Natural predators like birds, beetles and bugs might be an effective alternative t pesticides, keeping crop-devouring pests populations down while boosting crop yields, researchers said Wednesday.

18.04.2024

USA - What California citrus growers may need to recover from a record year for fruit fly

Redlands Daily Factsreportsthat Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, joined other members of the state legislature in writing a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, requesting $45 million in emergency funding for citrus growers grappling with an invasive fruit fly that has heavily impacted distribution and sales.

18.04.2024

India - Unpredictable weather hits potato farming

In a setback for India's agricultural sector, potato farming has been severely affected by unpredictable weather patterns, leading to a significant drop in production.Badweatherlast November impacted potato farming in the nation. It damaged the crops when they were just planted, thus farmers had to plant them again in December.

18.04.2024

USA - Vermont farms are still recovering from flooding as they enter the growing season

Hundreds ofVermont farmsare still recovering from last July'scatastrophic floodingand other extreme weather as they head into this year's growing season.Dog River Farm, in Berlin, Vermont, lost nearly all its produce crops in the July flooding.

17.04.2024

India - Unseasonal rains, hail ruin acres of crops

Drought for previous four months followed by unseasonal rain and hailstorms have wreaked havoc in the past week, caused huge losses. The sitting Shinde-Phadnavis (SS-Shinde-BJP) has not even declared this a natural disaster nor announced any reliefs and the shrill commercial media channels are eerily silent on the crisis.

17.04.2024

Spain - Good stone fruit harvests are expected in Murcia, except for late apricots, due to excessive heat

The stone fruit campaign has already kicked off with some extra-early varieties in Murcia, although there won't be significant and consistent volumes until the end of April. By mid-May, Badajoz will start to have a sufficient supply, and by mid-June, the season will also be getting underway in Lleida.

17.04.2024

USA - Texas peach crop faced with hail and lower chill hours

Texas could face another challenging peach season this spring. Jamey Vogel of Vogel Orchard in Fredericksburg, Texas says its harvest will start around May 1. This is slightly earlier than normal due to winter ending a bit earlier.

17.04.2024

Spain - It wasn't a good campaign for any of Almeria's tomato varieties

In the campaign that just ended, Almeria's tomato sector could not repeat the success of the previous campaign. This is a setback as the tomato sector has been experiencing an upward trend.

17.04.2024

Nigeria - Smallholder farmers need timely weather information to avert losses

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has harped on the need to avail Nigerian farmers, especially smallholder farmers, timely weather information so that they can know when to plant and when to harvest.

17.04.2024

Bangladesh - Drone technology to be introduced to assess crop losses

Bangladesh is preparing to introduce remote sensing and drones to detect crop damage caused by extreme weather events or diseases, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

17.04.2024

USA - Damage assessments, clean-up continue on Kaua‘i

The Kaua‘i Emergency Operations Center remains partially activated after last week’s flooding events, as county and state officials continue to address various recovery efforts islandwide.

17.04.2024

Argentina - Concern grows for soy harvest due to heavy rains

Prolonged rainfall over Argentina's farming heartland has fueled fears of delays to the ongoing soybean harvest that could cause production losses, the Rosario grains exchange said on Monday.