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Despite the severe drought from August to December last year, the quinoa crop appears to be much larger than anticipated. Recent statements from the Centro Internacional de la Quinoa (CIQ) suggest that production may be 82,500 tons. The remarkable recovery of the quinoa crop is attributed to late rains falling from December onwards in many areas. … Read more
By Jenneke van Vliet* and Freek Jan Koekoek In the first decade of the 21st century the millennial Andean food crop quinoa became known to the world as ‘superfood’: a gluten-free pseudo-cereal that contains all the essential amino-acids for human beings and a high content of proteins and minerals. As a consequence, we witnessed an … Read more
According to various industry experts, 15% to 30% of the quinoa harvest in Peru for 2017 has been destroyed by adverse weather. Mercadero therefore expects the production volume for 2017 to range between 70,000 and 86,000 tons.1 Due to extreme drought late last year and early 2017, at least 10% of the quinoa fields in … Read more
As a result of adverse weather the processed fruits and vegetables industry faces major challenges in the supply of raw material, and more businesses choose to take primary production in their own hands. This is one of the main trends mentioned by the expert participants during the PFV Focus Group meeting organised by CBI. Many … Read more
Coconut palm sugar, or palm blossom sugar, is gradually being discovered in western markets as a natural sweetener with some surprising benefits for companies and consumers. The product has a distinct taste and rich flavour, unlike any other natural sweetener. Compared to natural cane sugar, the sweetness is somewhat less pronounced and the flavour is … Read more
Global quinoa imports continue to grow, although not as fast as in the previous years. The latest trade data show that quinoa imports in the world reached a total of 75,208 tons in the year ending September 2016, which is 13% more than in the previous year (Figure 1). … Read more
By Freek Jan Koekoek At a well-attended meeting parallel to SIAL Paris in October, the Bolivian chia sector presented its vision to develop ‘clean chia.’ It also provided a production forecast. Bolivia has become one of the leading producers, along with Argentina and Paraguay, of this superfood rich in omega 3, which is experiencing a … Read more
Recent studies confirmed the theory that low glycemic food has certain health benefits as opposed to high glycemic food, but these insights are not yet generally accepted by health authorities. Low GI foods are less likely to cause large increases in blood sugar levels, and an effect on obesity and diabetes is widely recognized. Recently … Read more
Few stories have dominated the public perception about a food item more persistently than the 2013 article in the Guardian titled: ‘Can Vegans Stomach the Unpalatable Truth about Quinoa.’ The Economist now takes on the claim that increasing demand by western ‘food fadsters’ is driving the population in Peru and Bolivia into poverty and undernourishment. … Read more
The article “The Global Expansion of Quinoa: Trends and Limits” published in Frontiers in Crop Science sketches the expansion of quinoa production, with a focus on the distribution of germ plasm. Based on a mini survey among experts, the authors Didier Bazile, Sven-Erik Jacobson and Alexis Verniau present interesting data on testing and breeding of … Read more