Produce
Where what we eat comes from, and who gets paid along the way.
California fig season holds steady at 10m pounds
The Emerald variety is generating the buzz, but growers say labour, water and packing costs have climbed sharply since last year's harvest.
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Hatch chile harvest falls short after pest damage
Leaf miners and unusually warm nights have cut New Mexico's signature chile crop by 20 to 50 percent, and some packers have stopped taking fresh-market lots.
Japan saury prices triple as Hokkaido landings shrink
Fresh sanma averaged about ¥3,645 a kilo at Toyosu from mid-August, after a government forecast warned of the smallest saury stock since 2003.
Ivory Coast cocoa supply hits a two-year inventory high
Farmers have shipped 18% more cocoa to port than a year ago, but early surveys of the next crop point to disease pressure and a smaller harvest ahead.
India tea exports drop 16% in the first seven months of 2026
Provisional Tea Board figures show export earnings down 13.8% even as the average price per kilo rose, with the sharpest fall in the first quarter as West Asia shipping routes were disrupted.
Peru blueberry exports cut again as El Niño strengthens
Proarándanos now expects 382,000 tonnes for 2026-27, 6% below its August figure, as Peru's forecasters see an extraordinary coastal El Niño lasting into 2027.
Philippine banana exports outgrow available land
The Philippines shipped a record 2.9 million tonnes of bananas in 2025, and growers say buyer demand from Asia now outpaces what farmland can supply.
California almond shipments jump as the crop tightens
August exports rose 31% and receipts came in far ahead of last year, the first hard numbers from a 2026 crop already forecast to shrink.
Rioja's earliest harvest exposes a grape price fight
Rioja's 2026 harvest is the earliest on record, but the extra quality isn't reaching grower pay. Farmers say prices still sit below production costs; wineries call this year's terms stable.
Saudi Arabia pushes dates into fine dining and exports
A new deal between the kingdom's Culinary Arts Commission and its dates authority aims to turn a pantry staple into a marketed export and a signature ingredient at home.
Brazil coffee stocks hit a 27-year low despite record crop
ICE-certified arabica stocks have fallen to their lowest level since the late 1990s, even as Brazil's 2026/27 harvest heads for a possible record.
Alba white truffle season opens at record prices
Prices are averaging €1,853 a kilogram this season, setting up an expensive run into the region's 96th truffle fair, which opens in October and runs into December.
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