New pears known for their blush are promising to bring back a revival of the pear industry in Canada leading many in the industry to get excited.
Current predictions say that by 2021 this new pear will be commercial, ready and available for purchase. The pears were developed at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Harrow and then Vineland research station in the Niagara region.
One of the varieties, HW624, is about to begin the process to commercialization and follows a handful of pears developed originally in Harrow that could help Canada reduce imports and pitch its pears to the rest of the world.
“We sent it to retailers as well as growers and marketers across North America that all know pears very well — and this one, we’ve had a lot of interest,” she said.
Due to a disease called fire blight, since the 1980s the amount of growers in Canada has fallen which caused the production of pears in the country to plummet. Now 90 per cent of the pears Canadians eat are imported. That’s $82 million worth of pears.
The first trees of HW624, which will be named by the group that commercializes it, could be planted this spring and another variety, HW623, will be planted next year and producing fruit by 2021. The centre is still evaluating 80 to 100 selections, so more new pears could be on the way, Culley said.
