"Peru has entered strongly into the global berry market, mainly thanks to the natural characteristics of our country, which has an optimal climate and terrain for the development of different species. As a result, Peru is a privileged location in terms of production and its exports achieve the highest sales prices worldwide," said Jorge Nanjari, Director of R & D SunnyRidge Nurseries.
SunnyRidge Nurseries has been participating in the berries market for more than 30 years. Their experience has taught them that when a berry becomes successful in a country, like the blueberry in Peru, producers and marketers quickly incorporate other species.
According to Jorge Nanjari, "there are strong indicators that lead us to infer that raspberry crops will be the next market boom."
New varieties
Sunnyridge Nurseries represents the Netherland's Advanced Berry Breeding (ABB) genetic improvement program for raspberries, which has allowed them to make the Imara, Kwanza, and Kweli raspberry varieties available in Peru.
The main characteristic of these varieties is their fruit's excellent post-harvest life: the fruit of the Imara, Kwanza, and Kweli varieties darkens slowly after being harvested, so the harvest can be for the fresh market or mechanized for IQF. In addition, the three varieties can have two blooms per year, as they yield their first crop before the 6th month of being planted.
The Imara variety is an early variety that has a very high yield per plant. Its fruit is bright red, can easily be harvested and its average weight is superior to the Heritage variety, the most planted and oldest variety in the world, by more than 65%.
The Kwanza variety has a high yield per plant. Its fruit is orange, has a great size, good flavor, excellent post-harvest life, and its average weight is much higher than the fruit of the Heritage variety.
Meanwhile, the Kweli variety has a high to very high yield per plant. Its fruit is round and red. It is easy to harvest and its average weight is similar to the Imara variety. It also has an excellent post-harvest life, so it can be transported over longer distances.
These three varieties are protected, licensed, and subject to payment of an annual royalty per linear meter planted, which protects the intellectual property of the breeder and the investment made by the producer in Peru.
The Imara, Kwanza, and Kweli varieties have already arrived in Peru and are being tested for the first time. These varieties have shown that they can adapt and have an optimal development and yields, depending on the terrain in which they are planted.