In recent months, there has been a big crisis in the citrus production sector, especially in the case of oranges and mandarins, with prices falling below the production costs and plantations left unharvested.

The initial estimate for the 2018/2019 avocado season is between 15.5 and 16 million equivalent 4kg cartons, says Derek Donkin, CEO of umbrella body Subtrop. That is a reduction of around 6 million cartons on last year’s record crop, due partly to unfavourable weather conditions.

Wine harvest is a tricky time, but also a beautiful one. For a winemaker knowing when to harvest is a matter of taste, skill and awareness. A winemaker who notices more bird activity in the vineyard, for example, has just received an alert from Mother Nature that the grapes are ripe — the birds, raccoons and bears are always first in line for sweet fruit.

Southern Hemisphere production of apples and pears are both forecast to rise by 2% year-on-year in 2019, but individual countries are expecting some significant increases and decreases.

The international rice market largely has drifted lower in recent months, in quiet trade. In the United States, the absence of official reports, unavailable because of the government shutdown, has left traders with limited information.

“We expected that Tommy Atkins volumes would be up by about 10% this season, but just where did this enormous Tommy Atkins crop come from?”