At this year's Fruit Logistica trade fair in Berlin, Fyffes focused on its credo of sustainable growth, growing the category together with the retail partners, growing the product range with innovative, consumer-tested concepts, and strengthening partnerships with communities and suppliers. With a strong commitment to sustainability, Fyffes continues to enable more people to access healthy foods while working closely with partners to reduce food waste.

Chiquita has been awarded the Suitable Innovation Award as part of the 2025 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards for its Yelloway One disease-resistant banana prototype. This recognition highlights Chiquita's commitment to sustainability and innovative solutions in agriculture. Yelloway One is the first hybrid banana prototype resistant to significant diseases like Fusarium wilt and black leaf streak disease, which threaten global banana production and cost the industry hundreds of millions annually.

DOLE will announce its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2024 on February 26, 2025 prior to the market opening. The company's management will host a webcast and conference call on the same day at 08:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A presentation to accompany the discussion will be uploaded to the company website along with a press release and other supplemental financial information.

During week 6, banana selling prices in St. Petersburg remained high at around USD 22.00 per box CIF, driven by strong demand, depending on the brand, volume, and packaging. Approximately 1.675 million boxes were unloaded, while nearly 1.720 million boxes are expected for week 07. The exchange rate improved slightly, with 1 USD at 96.91 RUB, benefiting the Russian currency. In the Mediterranean region, Ecuadorian bananas were priced between USD 15.00 and USD 16.00 per box CIF, influenced by brand, volume, area, and packing. In Libya, prices rose to around USD 17.00 per box for Ecuadorian bananas and approximately USD 16.00 per box for Central American fruit. In the Mersin Free Zone, re-exported Ecuadorian bananas sold at prices ranging from USD 16.00 to USD 18.00 per box. In contrast, Central American bananas commanded USD 13.00 to USD 14.00 per box, based on brand, volume, box weight, and packing specifications.

Seamless logistics for temperature-sensitive cargoes become increasingly important with a growing demand for fresh fruits, proteins, and pharmaceutical products. Maersk is building and maintaining a global network of dedicated cold store facilities to provide reliable and safe end-to-end logistics for these perishable products. Completing a state-of-the-art cold store in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) marks the latest addition to this network of owned and leased specialized warehouses.

According to MSC's release, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has just launched iReefer, the most advanced container monitoring system for reefer cargo. This solution allows customers to track and monitor their temperature-controlled shipments from anywhere in the World in real time. With Reefer, customers can receive real-time insights into their reefer shipments, including information on position, temperature, humidity, and more. It is available via myMSC, the company's proprietary e-business platform, or an API (Application Programming Interface).

Japan's fruit import volumes held steady in 2024, totalling 1.599 million tonnes, a slight increase from 1.593 million tonnes in 2023, as the Ministry of Finance reported. Although these volumes remain below the ten-year average of 1.649 million tonnes, the total import value soared to a record ¥334 billion (US$2.157 billion), primarily driven by the weak yen. Bananas unquestionably dominated the imports, constituting 65.1% of the total.

Osmar Benítez, the Executive President of the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD), boldly stated that 90% of the Workforce in banana cultivation consists of unskilled labour. This concerning trend also plagues other agricultural sectors. During the inaugural "Let's Talk About Innovation" conference, he emphasized the urgent need for change, revealing that unskilled labour accounts for 80% of plantain, dairy farming, and coffee cultivation workers. For crops like rice, tobacco, and potatoes, the rates of unskilled labour range from 60% to 80%.

Prefect Johnny Terán is leading the "Siembra Hartón" agricultural program, an initiative to enhance rural productivity in Los Ríos by distributing 222,000 plantain plants, sufficient to cover 200 hectares of farmland. This ambitious project, managed by the Directorate of Agricultural Management, benefits over 200 small and medium-sized producers organized into 50 farming associations. The Prefecture is investing $178,440 to strengthen the agricultural sector and improve living conditions in rural areas.

In a significant development within the global container shipping industry, two major players—Denmark's Maersk A/S and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd AG—will begin operational collaboration, known as Gemini Cooperation, on February 1. Both companies have a strong presence in India. Following the announcement of Gemini Cooperation in January 2024, Hapag-Lloyd exited THE Alliance. In January 2023, Maersk and MSC announced that the 2M alliance would commence in January 2025.

In St. Petersburg, banana prices during week 05 were set at approximately USD 19.70 per box CIF on Monday and Tuesday. By Friday, these prices surged to USD 20.70-21.20, influenced by brand, volume, and packaging. This increase was a direct result of robust demand. During this timeframe, around 1.41 million boxes were unloaded, with traders expecting around 2.580 million boxes for week 06. The exchange rate of the USD stood at 98.01 RUB. Furthermore, as reported by Rosstat, inflation in the Russian Federation has consistently reached 1.14% since the start of the year. Prices in the Mediterranean for the Ecuadorean bananas were mainly around USD 15.0-16.0 per box CIF depending on the brand, volume, weight and packing, except Algeria, where prices kept at high levels as the past week, at around USD 25.00 per box CIF due to the low volumes shipped mainly due to the ban on importing Ecuadorean bananas not replaced by other producing countries short on volumes at least until March. Should Algeria and Ecuador not reach a diplomatic settlement , the Algerian domestic market is expected to remain very hot, with prices that might go higher than the actual levels, particularly during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This year, it starts on the evening of Friday, February 28th, lasting 30 days and ending at sundown on Saturday, March 29. The Mersin Free Zone prices for re-exported bananas of Ecuadorean origin were USD 15.50-17.0 per box, depending on brand, volume, weight, and packing. Central American bananas were sold at around USD 2.0 per box lower.

The Marín docks have successfully reestablished fruit imports, primarily melons and mangoes, just four months after reviving a service lost in 2019. Container traffic has surged by 7%, with an impressive monthly average of over 4,000 containers. Following a significant decline in fruit traffic in late 2019 that affected overall activity, the Port of Marín has firmly re-entered the maritime fruit transport circuit. As of last September, the new weekly line connecting Natal in Brazil with Marín, Rotterdam, and Dover is thriving.

Maersk is excited to announce the expansion of its maritime connections between Europe, Central America, and the United States, with new calls in Philadelphia and Port Everglades. The innovative 'TA5' service, set to launch in February, promises to provide a reliable and efficient shipping solution. This new service establishes a vital link between Northern Europe and Philadelphia, utilizing the westbound route of Hapag-Lloyd's established 'CES' service.

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The Israeli carrier ZIM is now part of "The Move to -15°C" campaign, aligning itself with industry leaders such as Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, Cosco, and DP World. This initiative aims to raise the standard temperature for frozen products from -18°C to -15°C, reducing energy consumption. ZIM emphasises that this movement aligns perfectly with its vision of sustainable shipping, showcasing its fleet with advanced reefer containers and real-time temperature monitoring systems.