A global alliance of top-fruit producers has been formed to help pinpoint those varieties of the future which have the best chance of commercial success.
The International Pome Fruit Alliance aims to evaluate varieties from a grower’s perspective and commercialise them globally via a single entity. The group has five founding partners - Fruitways of South Africa, Heartland of New Zealand, Australia’s Montague Fresh, San Clemente from Chile, and Italians VOG/VIP.
Speaking at the launch during Fruit Logistica last week, acting chairman John McCliskie said the alliance would allow growers the opportunity to test new material rigorously before marketing.
“In time, the entity will be working to commercialise varieties using the most cost-efficient system with significant global reach and access to over 20,000 hectares of pome orchards,” he said.
The UK is not represented among the founder members and McCliskie said no negotiations had yet begun with potential partners in the country. However he did leave the door open for UK partners to join the alliance at a later stage. “We five are the founding members and we hope others will come and join,” he added.
The scale of the alliance would allow it to undertake consumer research and marketing to give new varieties the maximum chance of success, he said.
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