An Italian kiwifruit consortium that already has a strong presence in South America through its Chilean operations has bolstered its presence in the continent through a recent agreement with Patagonian Fruits of General Roca, Argentina.

In a release, Consorzio KiwiGold said it had entered an agreement with the company to produce organic kiwifruit of the gold Jintao variety in Argentina.

The group pointed to increasing success with the variety among consumers, who continue to show greater appreciation for the cultivar and are also interested in organic crops.

The company said Argentina presented "particularly favorable pedoclimatic conditions" - meaning soil microclimates - for the production of organic produce due to its "abundant uncontaminated areas".

Patagonian Fruits is a leading grower of organic apples and pears in the Rio Negro and Neuquen valleys, and is expected to have optimum conditions for growing kiwifruit in the province of Buenos Aires (Balcarce and Sierra de los Padres) for both green Hayward and gold Jintao varieties. 

During the initial phase 40 hectares will be planted, 15 of which have already been bedded and should supply the first crops in April 2018, to then cover, by 2018, an overall surface area of 100 hectares.

The marketing of the product will be handled exclusively by Jingold. 

"By means of this agreement Patagonian Fruits proposes to continue investing in the kiwifruit sector, in particular in areas where the fruit has excellent characteristics," said the company's chairman Hugo Osvaldo Sanchez.

"Our region in fact has the peculiarity of being pests-free and this allows us to produce with little inputs and with trust in a promising future. Accordingly, we hope to be able to add the Red Jingold Kiwi to our production soon."

Jingold director Alessandro Fornari emphasized organic kiwifruit production was limited, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.

"As a result of the partnership agreement reached for the production of organic Jingold kiwi fruit in Argentina we will be able to offer the markets a new product which has generated great expectations with customers, especially those in the USA," he said. 

Consorzio Kiwigold technical manager Cristina Fabbroni said a recent visit to Hayward plants in operation in the area showed great potential.

"It features not only fertile soil enriched by breeding throughout the years, but also natural basins for irrigation, which play a crucial role in obtaining high-quality fruit," Fabbroni said.

"Moreover, the area exploits cutting-edge technology as far as the planting of the first hectares is concerned, using automatic systems to monitor both irrigation and fertigation, and providing hail-protection covers to safeguard fruit."

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