Leading Indian integrated produce company IG International is about to finally see dividends from its investments in the Czech Republic as young cherry trees start to bear more fruit.

Director Tarun Arora recently visited the fields in the northern Czech region of Litoměřice prior to Fruit Logistica in Berlin, and told www.freshfruitportal.com the first 15 acres planted a few years ago would come into production in 2015.

"We have 100 acres in total...the rest will start production in 2017," he said, adding the group was also looking at its options for apple cultivation in the area.

He said the possibility of exporting the fruit to India in the future was "at the back of the mind", but for now there were great advantages to be had from the timing of Czech cherries locally.

"It's for the domestic market. We'll mainly be focusing on the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany," Arora said.

"Since it's earlier than other cherries like the French - it's not earlier than Spanish but the quality is not so good in Spanish - you get very good pricing out of Europe as well.

"The only competition at that time is Turkish, but Turkish cherries have the disadvantage of the higher logistics costs; since we are in Europe and we can reach the market the next day, the quality is much fresher."

He said the orchards produced 20-30 metric tons (MT) last year, which will increase to 60-80MT this year before reaching around 600MT once all plantings come into production.

Pritpal Singh, who heads up IG's Czech subsidiary MPG Global Fresh, told www.freshfruitportal.com more about how the company was choosing its varieties to adapt to the Czech Republic's positive growing conditions.

"Every day is a new experiment. In the first few years, as we thought we were 15 days ahead for harvesting than Belgium or Europe, I looked at early varieties," Singh said.

"Canada Giant is one of them. Here in most of Europe they are not working like in Canada, America or Spain with self-pollinating; in Europe they are doing mostly plants the need pollinators, but our experience is that we work with both.

"Our earliest varieties are Samba and Sweet Early, then Summit, Canada Giant, Sylvia, Skeena, Kordia and Regina."

Arora said the Kordia was the most popular cherry with a diameter of around 32mm, representing around 70% of production.

"We are very proud of what we grow. Our cherries sell at a premium and we'll have about seven weeks of production," he said, adding that Čeroz Group would be marketing the fruit."

Singh said that as new plantings had increasingly taken place at higher altitudes, in the future the production season would extend to nine to 10 weeks.

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