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

Sun World CEO on Biogold acquisition: “There’s an appetite for more innovation in the produce section”

This year’s second quarter has brought exciting news for global variety developer Sun World. The firm successfully enforced its licensing rights against a handful of infringers all over the world and recently announced its acquisition of South African Plant Breeders Rights (PBRs) managing company Biogold.

To better understand how the recent purchase plays out on Sun World’s growth strategy, we hoped on a Teams call with CEO David Marguleas. The executive explained that the joining of the two teams is occurring in South Africa “as we speak”, and that they’re in the process of moving into a new combined office together in the Western Cape, Stellenbosch.

Looking ahead: Chilean and Peruvian table grape industries push for collaborative work

At the Global Grape Convention 2024, the main players in the table grape industry of Chile and Peru met to evaluate the current state of the business with a long-term perspective.

In a panel discussion with various industry representatives, several aspects were considered regarding the industry's growth plans for the next few years.

Over 600 kilos of cocaine seized in avocado shipment at Rotterdam port

A shipment of avocados from Peru, transiting through the Panama Canal, was seized in the port of Rotterdam last week carrying around 614 kilograms of cocaine, the Public Prosecution Service reported.

The drugs, which had a street value of over 46 million euros, were hidden in two avocado containers. One of the two carried 514 kilograms of cocaine and was headed towards a company in De Lier that presumably had nothing to do with the smuggling.

Zespri scores a victory in China against counterfeit use of brand property

The leading kiwifruit marketer in the world, Zespri scored a victory in its defense of the firm’s intellectual property rights in China, after a Shanghai court recently handed three infringers prison sentences.

On July 22, the court sentenced three individuals to three years and nine months in prison for violating Zespri's IP and fined them CNY550,000 (USD76,830) each, Yicai Global reports.

Peruvian pitahaya exports reach $1M

To learn more about the industry's rapid expansion, FreshFruitPortal.com spoke with Fluctuante's CEO and commercial director, David Sandoval, who said that “it's a milestone for us to reach the first million dollars in exports. The product is growing and Peru is taking an important role in the industry with momentum.”

Are bananas going extinct?

For 40 years, the Cavendish variety has been the most widely available banana in the world. Bred for its disease-resistant qualities, Cavendish bananas were once the solution to the first Fusarium TR4 (Foc TR4) fungus outbreak in the 50s.

Devastating strawberry losses in Queensland, Australia

The weather bureau warned locals of heavy rainfall and storms in Queensland's southeast and northern New South Wales. The State Emergency Service warned North Coast residents to prepare for heavy rain and flash flooding. 

Grower Taste 'n' See Strawberries in Bellmere reportedly lost an estimated 216,000 punnets of strawberries, nearly a million dollars in crop damage.