AUSTRALIA: The Queensland based fruit juice grower and distributor, producers of 500,000 litres of juice per week, is maximising the benefits of the new Free Trade Agreements (FTA’s) now in place with Japan, Korea and China. The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA), for example has reduced apple juice tariffs to between 7.6% and 13.6% from between 19.1% and 34% and will continue to reduce these tariffs annually until 2024.

Andrew Ross, Grove Juice CEO, explained that the launch of the FTAs, the company’s readiness to export, a good deal of market research and planning, and looking at the opportunities with Austrade played a key part in getting them to where they are now in Japan and Korea. Sources: Queensland Country Life/Austrade/Farm Online

NORTH AMERICA: Wonderful Citrus, America’s largest integrated grower, shipper and packer of fresh citrus, has purchased DNE World Fruit, the largest citrus marketer in Florida, DNE International, the largest citrus exporter in Florida, and the assets of World Pack Cold Storage, a division of DNE Imports. As part of this transaction, Wonderful Citrus is acquiring DNE’s citrus marketing and import business, along with World Pack’s cold storage, bagging, repack and distribution center in New Jersey.

This acquisition, combined with existing operations, makes Wonderful Citrus the number one importer of counter-seasonal citrus products in the U.S., while doubling the company’s grapefruit position.  Source: The Wonderful Company

INDIA: With the company aiming to focus on the niche sweet snack category, Rasna Chairman and MD Piruz Khambatta explained: “There is a huge opportunity for Indian food product companies in the kids-back-from-school segment. We are trying to work on new products in the evening space. In our ads and our products, we are trying to take the evening snack proposition,” Almost 70 per cent of Rasna’s sales is achieved in summer and the company will be changing the packaging for its ready-to-drink brand Ju-C and introducing three new flavours to the brand during its peak season. Source The Hindu Business Line/Press Trust of India.

With market prices and economic growth remaining slow and with an oversupply of commodities, Louis Dreyfus has been struggling to meet the challenges of the current volatile market place. A planned deal to help reduce funding costs back in November 2016 didn’t materialise but is now back on the table according to sources at Reuters. The signs are that the sector has continued to rally since then and with the recent appointment of a new CFO bringing more direction to the company there is increased confidence that a deal can be done this time round.