YELLOW KIWI PROJECT: historical agreement between NKP – NewKiwiPlant and RIVOIRA Group for the commercial development of two varieties of yellow pulp kiwi
One of the two varieties of yellow pulp Kiwi selected
The RIVOIRA and NKP representatives at the meeting on 1 July in Greece (from the left: Pierfranco Quaranta, Gerhard Dichgans, Cristos Xiloyannis, Nicoletta Quaranta, Cristoforos Xiloyannis, Laura Zeoli, Marco Rivoira, Zisis Manossis, Katiuscia Zuccherelli)
To date, this regards two yellow pulp varieties, one of which is long conservation and the other of which is early harvesting, with strong resilience against bacterial canker (KBC), one of today’s major problems facing producers in Europe and in the world. The University of Udine has placed this issue at the centre of its study in the common breeding project.
“The opportunities for this YELLOW PULP kiwi project are enormous – Marco Rivoira, CEO of the Piedmont company tells us – when we know that Italy alone has lost thousands of hectares of green kiwi systems and even more of the yellow kiwi due to bacterial canker and die-off.”
According to Pierfranco Quaranta, Chairman of NKP, “for the five partners who founded NKP back in 2008, this is a historical moment. The agreement signed today with RIVOIRA will launch a new global dimension of our yellow kiwi breeding and selection work which we have pursued for years with the University of Udine.”
“Consumer demand for yellow kiwi is growing globally, while production is unable to keep pace because of the agronomic difficulties, but with this project, and with these selected and readily available new varieties for commercial systems, we believe we have a real answer for growers”, continues Quaranta.
Marco Rivoira says, “the significant strength of our offering is having two varietal selections available to producers, which provide real and immediate answers to agronomic challenges the industry is facing, combined with a superior quality and shelf-life.”
The NKP Chairman concludes, “we are moving ahead with innovative new selections of yellow varieties: the future of our Project.”
NKP, founded in 2008, is the union of 5 partners: Fitotechniki (Greece) and Vitroplant (Italy), specialist nurseries with a micro-propagation laboratory, as well as Zeus Kiwi (Greece), Tuttofrutta Quaranta (Italy) and Zeoli Fruit (Italy), three commercial businesses with vast experience in the field of production and marketing of kiwis.
The UNIVERSITY of UDINE: founded in 1978, it has acquired a significant reputation on a national and international level in just over forty years. With its school of agronomy, it has been supporting research and selection programs centred on kiwis for years.
RIVOIRA Giovanni e Figli, headquartered in Verzuolo (Italy), is the leading company in the fruit industry, specialising in apples, kiwis, nectarines and cherries. It has launched the AMBROSIA apple on a European level, and globally develops the project for three apples selected in Brazil by EPAGRI, marketed with the SAMBOA brand.
For additional information, please contact: info@rivoira.it
