As Texas growers and shippers welcome the start of the onion season this year, they begin with a market that has demand exceeding supplies. In fact, as March began, 40-pound cartons of onions from Mexico saw an f.o.b. price above $30 - a number seen only once or twice over the last 35 years.

After years of importing fruit from and introducing its new fruit varieties to Chile, Sun World International LLC in Bakersfield, CA, has established an operation in the capital of Chile.

Sun World Chile, based in Santiago, is managed by long-time Chilean fruit industry veteran Rafael Parada, who coordinates all of Sun World's fruit exports to North America as well as its variety development and licensing programs, according to Sun World Senior Vice Presidents David Marguleas and Dirk Winkelmann.

In the winter 2006 edition of Review of Agricultural Economics, Hoy F. Carman, a professor in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics at the University of California-Davis, published a study regarding the effectiveness of generic advertising being done by the Hass Avocado Promotion & Research Order.

"The California avocado industry provides a case study of the economic pressures from increased imports and ongoing efforts to expand the demand for all avocados using government-mandated marketing programs," wrote Mr. Carman.

WASHINGTON -- New quarantine inspections and fees for U.S.-bound fruits and vegetables transported by truck and rail from Canada are being delayed until June 1 while U.S. and Canadian officials work out details of the controversial plan.

U.S. officials, who have been in talks with Canadian officials, needed more time to conclude these discussions for trucks and rail shipments, said Melissa O'Dell, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.

NEW YORK -- The strong presence of produce professionals at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, held here March 4-6 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, was a clear indication of the importance of the restaurant category to the industry. Fresh produce distributors, importers, producers and marketers increasingly recognize the need to maintain a strong promotional hold on the foodservice industry.

In Miami, real estate developers say the location of a Whole Foods supermarket on the ground floor of the 74-story Met 3 condo tower helped drive sales. In San Francisco, Bristol Farms' first entry in that eclectic market is its the basement store in a high-rise shopping mall. Twin condominium buildings towering 20 stories near downtown Atlanta opened last year with a Publix supermarket anchoring the ground-floor retail space.