CIV, the Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti, has recently signed an Exclusive Master Licensing Agreement with Culdevco (Pty) Limited for the testing and commercial development of the pear variety CapeRose/Cheeky® for the territory of Europe, Turkey and Israel. The variety was created and developed by the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa (ARC) and granted on a global exclusive basis to the Culdevco (Pty) Limited, which has been recording excellent agronomic and productive results in South Africa for years, with fruits marketed internationally.
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Culdevcòs general manager, Mishkaat Anderson, highlights that "CIV has been identified as the ideal partner to develop the project in the European market and in several Mediterranean countries. Cheeky represents a concrete response to market demands with excellent productivity, plant rusticity and fruits that are attractive and with good size, meeting both market and consumer needs."
CIV's ongoing goal is to develop and offer new varieties on the market that meet producers' and consumers' needs through innovative solutions aimed at achieving high-quality and sustainable products throughout the entire production and distribution chain.
CIV president, Mauro Grossi, states: 'There is no doubt that the pear sector has been suffering in recent years due to both a lack of crop innovation and significant production issues. Among the factors that are contributing to the production drop are the conditions linked to climate change and drought, which have affected the areas most suited to Italian and Spain production, as well as the increase in fungal diseases, particularly in the Mediterranean area. Our technical office has achieved positive results for Cheeky so far, especially regarding tolerances to Scab and Alternaria.
In this context, CIV believes that this collaboration agreement with the South African partner Culdevco is a tangible step towards reversing this trend, establishing the CapeRose/Cheeky variety in Europe after its success in South Africa, where it has demonstrated interesting distinctive characteristics with broad international appeal and exports to strategic areas like Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, making it a successful case in its country of origin."
Grossi and Anderson state that 'our partnership represents a unique opportunity for Cheeky to become an important supply chain project to be shared with the most important European players with the aim of making up for the current shortage of the endangered product on the market, mainly due to poor quality and low production volumes and commercial supply.
At the moment, the variety is undergoing advanced trials at the most important groups operating in the most vocated areas in Spain (Lérida, Extremadura) and in Italy (Emilia Romagna and Piedmont).
For more information:
CIV- Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti
Tel: +39.0533.399431
[email protected]
https://civ.it