Planasa, a European leader in acquiring new varieties in the fruit and vegetable sector, will start to develop its business in China, thanks to its entry into the capital of the local company Meiming Yunnan Agricultural Co. Ltd., which specializes in the production of raspberries and is based in the province of Yunnan.
Meiming was founded eight years ago by the French family Dabilly. Back then, they were pioneers in the production of raspberries in China, a product that was virtually unknown in China at that time. Currently the company is being managed by the Dabilly brothers, Martin and Thomas Dabilly.
This acquisition will allow Planasa to start production in one of the world's fastest growing markets. In addition to capital, Planasa will bring in new technology and its know-how regarding crop management while the founding partners will continue heading operations.
The Chinese call raspberries Shu Mei, but from now on they'll call them Adelita, which is a reference in the most demanding markets," said Alexandre Pierron-Darbonne, president of Planasa Group. "It is a very large and attractive fruit that has a very good flavor, which is characterized by a good balance between acidity and sugars, and with a long shelf life. Adelita is the only raspberry variety that can produce fruit throughout the whole year in different climates. In addition, Adelita is easy to manage, has high production yields, and it is easy to collect," he said.
"Our arrival in China will allow us to produce a high quality raspberry for the local market and neighboring countries. We will mainly focus on the Adelita raspberry variety, one of the most innovative varieties in the market. One of the first goals will be to increase the implementation of the variety in most production areas in order to serve fruit throughout the year, as the current production bulk is in summer.
"Right now the project has 10 hectares of fruit production, our goal is to triple this area within two years," he concluded.
