The first 70,000 trees will be produced this spring under the banner of the AbateNL concept. Several growers have already placed orders for Abate pear trees, according to co-initiator Mark van den Oever, and discussions are ongoing with additional growers. The marketing of AbateNL pears will eventually be conducted through a dedicated Service2Fruit trading platform, reports NFO.
In October last year, initiators Mark van den Oever and Jan van Os presented their plans for the AbateNL concept during a special information evening. Both entrepreneurs see potential for expanding the cultivation of this pear variety in the Netherlands, especially as production in Italy is declining. Growers who wish to participate must sign a marketing contract and plant a minimum of three hectares of Abate, potentially spread over several years. Contrary to earlier reports, participating growers are not required to provide any start-up capital. The goal is to plant 1,000 hectares of Abate within 10 to 15 years and market them through the AbateNL concept.
70,000 trees
Initially, the plan was to outsource the propagation of Abate trees to various tree growers. However, the initiators have now decided to manage this propagation in-house. The first inoculations are scheduled for next week. In total, approximately 70,000 Abate trees will be produced this spring, according to Mark van den Oever. This will be enough for 25 to 30 hectares of planting. "We have acquired starter material from Vermeerderingstuinen Nederland, and Jan van Os also has material available," says Van den Oever. "We are opting for robotized triangular grafting because we believe this method will provide the best root growth and produce the strongest trees for participating growers."
The number of trees aligns with the orders already placed by growers. "Several growers have expressed interest in joining the AbateNL concept and have already ordered trees. In addition, we are still in discussions with other growers. We are certainly not dissatisfied with the level of enthusiasm so far."
Trading platform
The sales of growers participating in the AbateNL concept will be organized collectively. The initiators plan to collaborate with the online trading platform Service2Fruit. "The intention is to create a closed platform exclusively for AbateNL pears. The supply from member growers will be consolidated here to achieve the best possible market price. Another advantage is that Service2Fruit is an established name with customers across Europe. However, this idea is still under development, and there is much work to be done. A new information evening will be organized soon, with more details to follow."
Source: NFO
