“Successful crop in southwestern France, with strong development potential”

The Maïsadour group has embarked on the kiwi adventure. The French cooperative based in southwestern France wants to “offer farmers new outlets and encourage crop diversification.” It has therefore formed a partnership with SIKIG (International Gaves Kiwi Society) in order to “develop the sector” by putting growers from the Landes region who want to diversify in touch with the kiwi specialist. The Adour basin harvests over 20,000 tons of kiwis every year, with 350 kiwi growers and almost 600 hectares of cultivation.

​Signing of the partnership between SIKIG and Maïsadour on January 16th, 2024. Julien Pedelucq, chairman and CEO of SIKIG; Michael Dolet Fayet, deputy vice-chairman of Maïsadour; Christophe Bonno, managing director of Maïsadour.

Planting 5 ha in 2025
The cooperative wants to plant 5 hectares by 2025.

With this partnership, SIKIG offers farmers identified by Maïsadour “tailor-made support and provides technical and commercial expertise: turnkey project, management of the planting site, support for cultivation (orchard and recruitment of temporary staff).” In order to “facilitate new installations for growers wishing to start up,” SIKIG is deploying various initiatives and actions, including economic support (loans facilitated by banks), pooling of equipment needed for cultivation, logistical and human resources support during the high season, housing proposals for seasonal workers, and complete management of the farming operation.”

Reducing imports and promoting food sovereignty
The partnership is part of a desire to “promote food sovereignty and reduce imports,” explains Christophe Bonno, CEO of Maïsadour. “Developing new value-added supply chains is one of the pillars of our Ambition 2030 corporate strategy. Faced with the challenges of food sovereignty and the decarbonization of agriculture, we are working alongside farmers to develop and secure their outlets, while enabling the French to eat healthy, local food.”

France is Europe's 3rd largest kiwi producer, with a total of 49,000 tons, after Greece (300,000 tons) and Italy (170,000 tons).

Why kiwis?
It is “a crop that has proved its worth in the southwestern region of France, with strong potential for development,” but it also offers “a number of advantages. By planting both yellow and green kiwis on their farm, producers maximize their yields (25 tons for green and double for the best orchards of yellow kiwis), since the cropping calendars for these two varieties are slightly offset. It is also a framed and buoyant market, with a very positive future, additional market shares to conquer and consumers ready to enjoy French kiwis of excellent quality.”