Red pears for United States

Press, 1 August 1986, Page 13

Red pears for United States

A pear which has become fashionable to buy on the West Coast of the United States because of its bright red colour is likely to be grown in more New Zealand orchards.

A test shipment of red Bartlett pears from next year’s harvest will be sent to North America by the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board. Red pears sell for a third more than green pears, the board’s national field supervisor, Mr David Cranwell, said. The eating quality of red pears is the same as green but market studies have revealed Americans will impulsively choose red apples and pears ahead of green varieties. The board has negotiated to import another

strain of red pear from America, the red cornice. The new variety is a rosier red than the Bartlett and has a longer storage life. It will take about five years for the new variety to pass through quarantine and another five years for growers to produce the fruit in commercial volume, Mr Cranwell said. The red varieties will broaden growers’ market options, he said. Experimental plantings of red pears began in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research’s Havelock orchard in 1983, and full results of the trials will be available in two years. Stock selections of red pear varieties could be available in three years.