Ya'an is a small town by Chinese standards, located in the Sichuan province. Around 300,000 people live in the centre, with around 1.5 million people including the parishes. On April 20, 2013 the region was struck by a heavy earthquake, causing a number of deaths, as well as damage to many buildings. Sichuan had already been struck by a heavy quake in 2008. The regional government decided to bring out all measures to supporter the local population and companies in rebuilding after the last earthquake.
New economic impulse
At first they wanted to start projects in the villages around Ya'an, to give the agriculture and horticulture a new economic impulse. This region is quite favourable for a lot of cultivations as far as the climate and soil is concerned. The climate is damp, subtropical, with a generally short winter. The average temperature in the winter is 6.3°C with very little frost. The summers are warm (frequently higher than 30°C, but 25°C on average) and it is very humid in July and August. With a rainfall of almost 1700 mm over 213 days of the year Ya'an is known as the 'rainy city'. The region is known for its tea production, but there are also a large number of kiwi plantations. However, few are professional, and many are plagued by the feared bacterial disease Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (PSA).
Start of kiwi berry plantation
Innofresh, a company that innovates in agriculture and horticulture, therefore took the initiative, with the support of the local government, to expand a kiwiberry company. Originally, a small experimental plantation of 3 ha was realised in March 2013. In 2014 the area was extended to 27 ha, which will come into production for the first time in 2018.
Marketing locally
Innofresh has specialised in the kiwiberry production in China. "We want to build up and market the new product locally," said Willem Kokkeel, one of the co founders of Innofresh. "We have now planted different varieties, and plant to build up the product category in China (and later Asia) with Innofresh and also expand our assortment with new varieties."
A new office building multiplication greenhouse and cultivation tunnels were all invested in. At the moment there is also still a sorting hall with cooling and freezing facilities being built. From the start of the project the kiwiberry project by the University of Ghent, led by Filip Debersaques, head lecturer of the faculty of bio engineering sciences, was appealed to. "The climate of the region is exceptionally well suited to the cultivation of kiwiberry. The fact that a lot of Actinidia and A. arguta are naturally present in the region proves this. This, combined with the professionalism and the motivation of the people behind the Innofresh company means that this project has a large chance of succeeding," says Debersaques. "The proximity of a global city like Chengdu (over 14 million inhabitants) at less than 2 hours away ensures quite a number of potential consumers," concludes the kiwiberry expert.
First harvest July 20 2015
The first harvest of the Innofresh kiwiberry was presented in Ya'an during a ceremony on July 20 2015. During this ceremony Filip Debersaques gave a speech in which he spoke about the importance of the kiwi berry to health and the opportunities this cultivation can offer the region. The representative of the government, Mr. Gou Yiquan stressed the difficulties the region faced due to the earthquakes. He spoke about hoping that this Innofresh kiwiberry project could give a new momentum to the region. The representative of Taoboa.com, Mr Zhui Chi, and the representative of InnoFresh, Mr. Wen Xiangyang also emphasised the opportunities the kiwiberry cultivation could offer the region. An innovative approach through internet sales of a new commercial cultivation of a very healthy fruit should partially ensure a future for the region.
Ordering by internet
This ceremony also kickstarted the sales of the first fruits, under the slogan: 'Innofresh kiwiberries, Ya'an's hope'. The expectations of this project are very high. The consumers can now place their orders through the internet platform TAOBAO (Alibaba group), which will be delivered by courier within 24 to 48 hours throughout China. The kiwiberries are offered on the Chinese market as a package with 2 125 gram punnets with a few souvenirs (commemorative card, bottle of earth and a piece of kiwiberry wood) which indicate the Ya'an natural disasters and the power this initiative hopes to bring to get the agriculture back on the map in the region.
