WASHINGTON — Progress is being made in negotiations to reopen China's market for Washington apples and California citrus, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said after high-level talks wrapped up between U.S. and China in Beijing.

Vilsack reported progress on trade issues from the 24th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce & Trade, which was co-chaired by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman with China's Vice Premier Wang Yang.

The Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that is responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare and plant health, has issued a notice that it is implementing new requirements for the importation of fresh blueberries from Chile into the United States, according to Miami-based Customized Brokers, a division of Crowley Maritime Corp.

Global trade flow in fruits and vegetables is shaped by various factors, including geographic proximity, trading arrangements, and historical and political elements. This trade has grown rapidly since the 1980s, and that growth has been accompanied by changes in the commodity composition and spurred by varying regional varieties and seasons for fruits and vegetables, which stimulates trade.

STILLWATER, KS — The early Nogales deal is routinely unpredictable, noted Jimmy Connell, who in 1997 first opened a Nogales office for his family’s business, Keith Connell, Inc.

“Markets are so depressed” that Nogales has had a slow beginning this year, he said on Nov. 15. Cheap prices for products crossing into Nogales from Mexico are attributable to lingering vegetable seasons in Florida and Georgia.

Farmer’s Best International LLC in Nogales, AZ, does not have major increases in any of its products out of Mexico for the 2013-14 season, but “we have a slight increase on almost everything,” said Steve Yubeta, vice president of sales, in an interview with The Produce News.

The company’s main commodities are cucumbers, green bells, red bells, round tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Italian squash, yellow squash, grey squash, Kabocha squash, table grapes and mangos, he said.

ALDI, a leading low-price grocer, announced a five-year strategic plan to open 650 new stores across the nation. The grocery retailer launched its expansion efforts with the decision to build its regional headquarters and distribution center in Moreno Valley, CA.

To reach its aggressive goal, over the next five years ALDI plans to accelerate the pace of new store openings to an average of 130 per year, up from an average of 80 stores per year in recent years. ALDI is also planning to invest more than $3 billion to pay for land, facilities and equipment.