These are FreshFruitPortal.com's top seven stories of the week.

Sun World International expands citrus and subtropical varietals portfolio with Biogold acquisition

Seeking to advance its presence in the citrus and subtropical categories, Sun World International LLC today announced the acquisition of Biogold Group. The South Africa-based company is a global fruit variety rights manager, trading as Citrogold in South Africa. 

Today, Biogold enjoys a global presence in South Africa, the U.S., Europe, and South America, with growers in the world’s major citrus-producing regions.

The countries driving the increase in global avocado consumption

As the global avocado industry recovers from a challenging year due to the El Niño phenomenon, we spoke with Zac Bard, chairman of the World Avocado Organization (WAO), about the current state of the global industry and what markets are becoming more attractive for growers. 

Shipping rates are on the rise globally

A continuous rise in global shipping and container rates is causing concern in Western and Eastern markets across the globe.

Led mainly by tight capacity, strong demand, and the ongoing disruption in the Red Sea, rates are approaching record highs seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

United States fresh papaya imports reach a record high

In the July 2024 United States Department of Agriculture Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, the institution reports that U.S. fresh papaya imports surpassed the half-billion-pound mark for the first time last year, reaching a record of 501.2 million pounds.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture from USDA, NASS reports that very little acreage was used for tropical fruit production in the United States. Despite limited domestic production of tropical fruits, their popularity has increased exponentially in recent decades.

The new stage of Chilean kiwifruit

We continue the analysis of the Chilean kiwifruit industry in this second part, based on the interview conducted by FreshFruitPortal.com with the president of the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee, Carlos Cruzat.

During our conversation, the industry leader pointed out that the country is in a new stage, with the industry growing in volume and planting more hectares.

Peruvian government to take charge of world-class irrigation megaproject

On Friday, July 26, the transfer of the world-class project, Majes Siguas, to the Peruvian government was made official, which will benefit more than 350,000 inhabitants in the Arequipa region.

“After many years of paralysis, today (Friday) Majes Siguas becomes a new development opportunity for Peruvian agriculture, hand in hand with the national government that has already managed to unlock major projects such as Chavimochic and Chinecas,” said Peru's Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Angel Manero,

Hass Avocado Board's impact on the increase of avocado consumption in the US

Emiliano Escobedo has dedicated his professional career to the promotion and development of the avocado market. It is a world that motivated him from a very young age. After graduating from college, he began his career at a public relations agency in New York, focused on food promotion, where he worked with the avocado industry as a client of the Association of Avocado Producers of Mexico (APEAM).