With China experiencing one of its colder winters in four decades, ginger production there has been hampered and exports have been severely curtailed, causing prices to jump dramatically.

"The price of ginger is already doubling as of now," Jim Provost, owner of I Love Produce, told The Produce News Feb. 5.

The National Weather Service issued freeze warnings for parts of California's San Joaquin Valley, including a number of citrus- and tree fruit-growing areas, for the nights of Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, but temperatures did not get as cold as expected, and citrus growers were able to avert damage by turning on sprinklers and wind machines.

"I called and talked to guys this morning, and it didn't get as cold as they thought it was going to," said Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for California Citrus Mutual in Exeter, CA.

Rivermaid Trading Co., a Lodi, CA-based grower-shipper of pears, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, apples, table grapes and kiwifruit, has added to its sales and marketing staff to accommodate its growth.

The company announced Feb. 6 that Dave Parker, formerly the marketing director at Scattaglia Growers & Shippers, has joined Rivermaid. On Feb. 12, the firm announced that it hired Brad Gostanian, a veteran of 21 years and most recently at Wawona Fruit Co., and Mike Isola, who has 20 years of industry experience and who most recently worked at Grower Direct.

Sweet potatoes have long been a strong seasonal item during the holidays, but Country Sweet Produce, based in Bakersfield, CA, is looking to capitalize on increased popularity with the introduction of a new baby sweet potato program, which will be available on a year-round basis.

Industry veteran Ed (Edge) Dostal and three other new hires have joined the sales team at Fruit Patch Sales LLC in Dinuba, CA. The others are Jesus Villareal and Wes Kubo on sales, and Rodney Kubo on export sales.

The Produce News was able to confirm their hiring, but neither they nor company executives were immediately available for comment.

In response to requests by United Fresh and other food industry groups, the Food & Drug Administration announced that it will extend the comment period to May 16 for the information collection provisions of the proposed rule on "Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption" (Produce Rule) and the same provisions in the proposed rule on "Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food" (Preventive Controls Rule).