New Zealand grower-packer Seeka has negotiated the rights to grow and license the ‘3-29-5’ avocado variety in New Zealand.
The agreement was struck with South African company Westfalia, which won the rights to internationally commercialise the avocado after it was bred by Californian researches.
The new variety is marketed under the trademark ‘Gem’ and is being pushed as a high-quality, tastier fruit when compared to other avocado varieties.
“Our belief is that this is an exciting opportunity for New Zealand,” said Seeka avocado manager Jonathan Dixon in a company statement. “The fruit quality is good and the alternative bearing problem typical to the New Zealand avocado industry may be alleviated with this variety. It provides an excellent consumer proposition and, if marketed correctly, could deliver very appealing returns to a grower.”
