Italian connection in Zespri's new kiwifruit venture

WELLINGTON - New Zealand kiwifruit marketers have contracted four Italian orchardists to grow a "patented" golden cultivar of kiwifruit to sell in the northern hemisphere during our off season.

The contracts, for a sweet golden-fleshed fruit - bred from actinidia chinensis rather than the actinidia deliciosa, which is the parent of established green cultivars - are part of a move by Zespri International to seamless year-round global sales.

Zespri expects that by controlling the scarcity of its golden kiwifruit, through tight controls on marketing of the fruit grown in Italy, it will be able to maintain a long-term price premium.

The original green kiwifruit, bred in New Zealand from Chinese plants, are grown worldwide after the New Zealand industry made a strategic error by widely exporting plants, rootstock and cuttings. Twenty years later, growers involved in those exports said the industry "gave away" its first opportunity to dominate world trade in kiwifruit by failing to license the name or "patent" the plant genetics for the green fruit.

Zespri chairman Doug Voss said the company had signed a contract on January 22 with Francesco Spreafico and Sons in northern Italy to graft, grow and pack the golden kiwifruit, known under its research name of Hort16A, and sold as Zespri gold.

It had signed further contracts with Apoconerpo, of Bologna, Apofruit, of Cesena, and AFE (Salvi), of Ferrara, to grow the fruit. Zespri would retain control of the vines and fruit.

Government science company Hortresearch owned the intellectual property of the plant variety and Zespri had exclusive global marketing rights.

The aim was to strictly manage the global commercialisation of the variety for the benefit of Zespri's growers in New Zealand and overseas, Mr Voss said.

"We will not hesitate to take action against anyone who grows, propagates, or markets Hort16A kiwifruit without proper authorisation."

Grafting of the new variety was already under way in Italy, with plans to produce commercial volumes in three years. Meanwhile, European markets would be supplied with the Zespri gold fruit from New Zealand growers.

Zespri had been trying to push conventional Chilean kiwifruit out of its unchallenged "window" between the end of the European growing season and the beginning of the New Zealand export season.

Southern Europe regional manager Peter Luxton predicted last year it would be possible to close the gap between the end of the European kiwifruit season in mid-May and the arrival of New Zealand fruit in June, partly by using Italian and French fruit chosen for long-storing capabilities.

- NZPA