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

With El Niño winding down, Peru looks to recover blueberry volume

Ricardo Polis, regional director of South America at Fall Creek, a transnational blueberry nursery, says he expects volumes to improve as the weather transitions to a La Niña cycle and conditions slowly normalize in Peru.

Drought in Morocco affects citrus size, as growers seek water sources

Between the 2019-20 and 2023-24 seasons, volumes of mandarins from Morocco to the U.S. increased from 53 to 80 million pounds. The country is currently the third largest exporter of fruit to the U.S., with 15% of the total share.

Drought in Mexico could have severe effects on Texas citrus

A 1994 water treaty between the U.S. and Mexico is causing major issues due to severe drought. The agreement requires Mexico to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water from the Rio Grande to the U.S. over a five-year cycle.

Rodents in kiwifruit shipment delay European campaign for Zespri

The start of Zespri’s European kiwifruit season has been pushed back a week after mice were found among 1.2 million trays of SunGold kiwis upon arrival in Zeebrugge, Belgium last week.

Grocery shoppers support farmworker dreams via QR codes

The company behind the codes, Thx!, is an organization created to bridge the gap between consumers and farmworkers, by highlighting the hands that tend to, pick and water our produce.

US orgs urge ban on Mexican avocados linked to deforestation

More than 25 organizations urged the U.S. State Department to stop imports of avocados linked to recent deforestation in Mexico. Illegal deforestation is imperiling monarch butterfly habitat, the letter says, and the issue undermines international pledges made by both countries to halt these practices.

Cherry industry leaders gather in Chile for Global Cherry Summit 2024

To explore the top issues affecting the sector, cherry industry leaders gather tomorrow, April 25, for the Global Cherry Summit 2024, jointly organized by Yentzen Group and the Chilean Cherry Fruit Committee, part of Frutas de Chile (formerly ASOEX).