The US Early Pride mandarin variety, distributed under the registered trademark Earlyna, was exhibited for the first time at the stand of the Club de Variedades Protegidas at Fruit Attraction in Madrid, attracting considerable interest from growers from different parts of Spain. This early mandarin is aiming to position itself in the premium market in the first part of the Spanish citrus season.
This summer, the company EVAM, exclusive licensee for Europe of the US Early Pride variety, became a new member of the Club de Variedades Protegidas, CVVP AIE, for the management of this mandarin.
© Joel Pitarch | FreshPlaza.com
"It has been very good for us to attend the fair together with CVVPP. We have received many visits from growers interested in knowing more about this early mandarin variety, many of whom will be attending the next Earlyna presentation on November 11 in Xeresa, Valencia," says Vicente Estevan, of EVAM.
"Earlyna stands out for its harvesting dates, between October 25 and December 15, depending on the area where it is grown. This is a period when there are still no mandarins available on the market, so the Earlyna stands out with its flattened shape, large size, striking color, and juiciness," says Vicente Estevan.
"Since it is an irradiated variety, it has very few seeds and, in many cases, no seeds at all. This makes it an ideal early mandarin for the leafy fruit market," says Estevan. "It has many outstanding qualities, including its good commercial performance, even when shipped over long distances. In fact, it has been sent to destinations such as Brazil or Canada with very good post-harvest results," he says.
© Earlyna
The Earlyna is harvested around the same time as the Clemenules clementine. "These varieties have nothing to do with one another. The Earlyna is light years ahead of the Clemenules in terms of shape, size, color, and, above all, shelf life once harvested," says Vicente Estevan.
"Although they have different flavors, the Earlyna provides continuity in terms of quality, shelf life, shape, color, and size to mandarins such as the Tango or Nadorcott from the Southern Hemisphere, whose campaigns end in October. In November and December, we could continue with the Earlyna and then link up with the Spanish Nadorcott and Tango, and then with the Early Pride from South Africa, for example. In this way, we would have a year-round supply of premium mandarins," says Estevan.
Around 400 hectares have already been sold in Spain, 80 of which are already in production. It is worth recalling that its cultivation on the Iberian Peninsula is limited to 2,000 hectares. "In Spain, most of the plantations are in the Valencian Community, although there is also production in Tarragona and Andalusia, where we also intend to expand the acreage in the coming years," says Vicente Estevan.
For more information: www.earlyna.com / www.clubvvp.es
