Just three weeks after the Mexican government implemented its final rule to allow U.S. fresh potatoes into larger cities throughout all of Mexico, as part of a bilateral agreement that facilitates trade in fresh potatoes between the two countries," Mexico has backpedaled and said "no" to U.S. potatoes.

The season’s first citrus from South Africa — 90 tons of clementines and Navel oranges — has arrived in the U.S., marking the start of the 15th season for South African summer citrus in the U.S.

A former vice president of sales at River Ranch Foods has been tapped to lead Malena Produce Inc.’s expanding executive sales team. Peter Hayes directed commodity and private-label programs for this major Salinas-based grower-shipper and now joins the Malena team at its sales offices in Rio Rico, AZ.

Curry & Co. has expanded its blueberry program by partnering with Driediger Farms Ltd. from Langley, BC.

Capitalizing on the growing popularity of convenience-driven fresh cut snack items and its recent success of Woot Froot sliced peaches and nectarines, Fresh Fruit Cuts has expanded its value-added product line and will begin offering fresh cut pears in July, along with destemmed grapes and multi-pack snack bag medleys.

Although volume for the 2014 cherry crop doesn’t look like it will be a record-setter, Columbia Marketing International, headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, anticipates a highly promotable crop. Katharine Grove, a member of the CMI marketing team, characterized the fruit set as moderate, “not overloaded. This most likely will yield larger, better-tasting cherries.” But she cautioned, “It is still a little too early to tell.”