Kenya Airways launched a firstever cabin cargo repurposing of a Boeing 787 into a “Preighter”. The term preighter was coined at the height of the pandemic last year to refer to passenger aircraft converted to cargo.
This has been made possible through a partnership with Avianor, a leader in the aerospace industry for more than 25 years. Through the partnership, the team repurposed its aircraft cabins into cargo transportation on the Boeing 787.
On 20th February 2021, Agrichem Africa Ltd sponsored its first Lawn Tennis tournament for juniors. The event provided an opportunity to appreciate and engage the community. In attendance was Agrichem Africa Ltd Managing Director Mr. Shiraz Karmali.
The winners took home a trophy and a certificate.
Other than children getting a fun in the Lawn Tennis course, prospecting future international champions interacted freely with international coaches and fellow competitors.
Downy mildew is a fungal disease that causes destruction of leaves, stems, and flowers of the infected plant. Downy mildew causal organism is called Peronosporasparsa and as the scientific name indicates, the production of spores is sparse and therefore this disease is difficult to diagnose and control.
Peronospora sparsa, is a fungus-like eukaryotic microorganism (oomycete), more closely related to algae than to fungi. P. sparsa is an obligate parasite that establishes long term feeding relationship with rose plant and its growth depends on the living plant tissues.
The need to reduce the carbon footprint is necessary because packaging of the flowers for transportation is an important aspect of the value chain, as it also helps maintain the product’s integrity till the end. While the stakeholders in Amsterdam, Netherlands have taken the necessary steps ahead of the season, in Africa, Nairobi-based Silpack is doing its part too. It is an active and instrumental part of the packaging industry for flowers and just like any other industry, the Kenyan company was affected with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Something all greenhouse owners have in common is the great satisfaction that comes from a greenhouse in summer. In the warmer months, your greenhouse is a fantastic energy converter; sunlight streams in and warms up the interior quickly, providing the perfect little world for your plants. However, during the colder months, we greenhouse owners are ripped apart into two camps – heated and unheated.
Avocado prices are slowly dropping on the European market. In general, prices are expected to fall sharply in July and August compared to previous months. This is due to the fact that some countries continue to buy smaller volumes than usual because the coronavirus is still having a huge impact. For example, part of the food service in the US is not yet back to its old level. Peru, the world’s largest producer, is therefore selling more volumes on the European market. Other production countries and regions are Mexico, Colombia, California, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Peru has a strong presence in both China and India. South African companies are currently also sourcing Peruvian avocados to supplement their own volumes, as they’ve had smaller home-grown volumes than expected. In China, imports are still on the rise; Colombia is perceived as a nice addition to fill the gap between the Chilean and Peruvian seasons. People are also increasingly working on their own production.
Belgium: Low prices for the Hass; Greenskins at their usual price
There is currently a great supply of Hass avocados, as different countries are in production, says a Belgian trader. The demand is at a fairly normal level. As a result, prices for the Hass are quite low and don’t differ much from those of the greenskins. The greenskins are currently imported from Peru and South Africa and the supply is normal.
Alittle creature has been the cause of much destruction in the ornamental and horticultural industry recently. This fuss is all about the False Codling Moth (FCM –Thaumatotibia leucotreta). Three years ago, False Codling Moth was classified by Europe as a quarantine pest and member countries were recommended to regulate its presence. So, what is going on? Are we looking at a serious threat to the ornamental and horticultural sector?
No. Not at all, thanks to Madumbi Kenya Limited. Farmers preparing their spray programs can now include Cryptex® a cutting edge granulovirus technology for the suppression of False Codling Moth (FCM).
Summer is around the corner, and it will most likely be another record-breaking one. On those blazing hot summer days, you are doing everything possible to stay cool, aren’t you? Well, flowers require the same!
When the heat rises, flowers will – just like people – rapidly start to increase their respiration. The need for water intake greatly increases, to maintain the right temperature and not dry out.
The best treatment for cut flowers is to maintain a constant temperature and avoid extreme heat, cold or drafts. If the temperature does spike, check the water levels and if condensation has developed on the inside of sleeves. Remove sleeves with condensation immediately, to prevent botrytis and other dangers.
Let us examine some of the mid to long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the air freight market. Many shippers and forwarders are wondering when we might return to a “normal” market condition and there are many factors that will come in to play. One of the most significant is demand for travel.
Capacity Impact
Each lane is different, but passenger flights make up a large portion of air freight capacity globally. As demand for air travel steadily increased over the years, airlines have responded with more passenger aircraft to support this demand. This additional equipment increased cargo capacity, even in years where demand for air cargo did not increase at a corresponding level.
With cargo capacity (supply) increasing faster than demand, many airlines operating both passenger and freighter aircraft reconsidered their need for freighters. Some airlines got out of the freighter aircraft market altogether, while others chose to let aging cargo aircraft retire without replacing them.
The clarion call at this time of Corvid-19 is minimal touch points hence a strong box. SoilQ is the solution as it will keep the product safe and will remain neat on arrival. The box is constructed using reinforcement band within the box, under patented technology.
Packaging might be the unsung hero of the fresh produce industry. It might not be the sexiest part of the supply chain. It is a sector that might be perceived – wrongly – as a less glamorous component of the supply chain. But without adequate solutions that work up and down the chain, produce will never arrive for presentation at the right quality.
However, behind the scene as Mr. Masila Kanyingi found out in a thirty minutes tour of Silpack Industries Ltd, there exists a wealth of innovation and dynamism within fresh-produce packaging. Silpack the introducers of SoliQ brand in Kenya has been exploring innovative methods to boost sustainability, increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve packaging as a marketing medium. Though introduced in their R&D department over six years ago “SoliQ”, is still the next generation packaging solution as Mr. Parit Shah, a Director with Silpack Industries Ltd, proudly refers it.
