Topic “In the News News” — Exporter Magazine

Take up of robotic technology in the food sector is set to steadily increase as processors are forced to seek further efficiency gains and demand could challenge that of the automotive industry within a decade, according to FoodProductionDaily.com Ocean container carriers pulled around 100,000 20-foot equivalent units of capacity from the Asia to North Europe route during the Chinese vacation week as freight rates decline rapidly on weaker-than-expected cargo demand, according to the Journal of Commerce citing a report by Alphaliner. Bay of Plenty kiwifruit is arriving in Europe at an increasingly speedier rate thanks to a supply agreement between Zespri and major shipowners and operators Seatrade, according to Bay of Plenty Times. Japanese export ship orders were up 111% year on year to 5,867,651 gross tonnes in the first five months of fiscal 2010, starting April 1, showing a rise for the ninth consecutive month, according to the Shipping Gazette. The Avocado Industry Council is predicting an export crop of 1.78 millions trays this season, 300,000 less trays than predicted before the storms, according to the Bay of Plenty Times. The Chinese central government has called for stringent regulation on the production and marketing of melamine to avoid the use of melamine in the food and feed industry, according to ChinaDaily.com.