According to a specialist in the sector, “the first two weeks of the campaign went really well, with the highest volumes sold for Christmas. Both packages sold well, the lychees from Madagascar in 4.4 lbs and 12 lbs.”

Blueberries remain a popular product. In Latin America, great investments are still made in the cultivation of these berries. Chile is the market leader at this time of the year, but Peru has the ambition to become the world's largest exporter in the next two years. Other countries also see opportunities in the product's export. North America remains a major destination for the fruit, but exports to Europe and Asia are also on the rise.

Wine is produced through the fermentation of grapes or fruit, and has a long and rich history dating back thousands of years. Vinification (the art of winemaking) starts with the selection of appropriate grapes or other ingredients, culminating in the bottling of the finished wine.

High crop yields often come under scrutiny because of the fertilizer levels needed to produce such yields and because of the perception and reality of the potential environmental impacts of those inputs.

The harvest of South African Evita or Great Parisian figs, called ‘baby figs’ because of their size, will start by weeks 3 or 4. Yukon, a South African grower-exporter of niche vegetable products, will be offering these figs to overseas retail and wholesale clients until the end of May.

Scientists in the US have engineered tobacco plants that can grow up to 40% larger than normal in field trials.