At a time when the citrus sector is going through a difficult phase, it is necessary to consider the challenges facing the sector.
Some of these include the modernisation of farms, the incorporation of young people into the sector, and their continuous training.
In this context, great hope has been placed in the new patented varieties and the innovative models that they represent.
The intellectual property rights associated with the patent allow the owner to control how much of each variety is produced, adapting supply to demand, and avoiding the usual situations of oversupply.
In addition, these varieties have much higher attributes of quality and useful life, making the supply much more attractive to chains as well as consumers.
Preserving Value
However, in order to preserve the value of the product and profitability for all actors in the supply chain, it is essential that managers of protected varieties implement sustainable strategies for marketing licenses.
They also need to implement an efficient system of control and legal defence against the proliferation of unauthorised plantations, respecting the current regulations applicable in each case.
Unfortunately, not all operators of protected varieties are acting according to these guidelines, which threatens to dilute a key differentiation point for the sector.
Best-Quoted Variety
In recent years, the Orri mandarin has been the best-quoted variety in the market with an average price of approximately €1.00 per kilogram, according to public data from the main price auctions.
This is the result of a combination of several factors, believes the Orri Running Committee.
The fruit offers an exceptional organoleptic quality, and a truly unmistakable taste. It is characterised by ease of peeling, the absence of seeds, and a very resistant skin of intense orange colour.
The harvesting period of the fruit is unmatched by other varieties, and results in more than five months of continuous sales.
In addition, it is highly distinctive and practically unmistakable at a morphological level compared to other varieties that share the same commercial window.
Other protected varieties, which are very similar to each other, require tens of thousands of costly point-of-sale samples, and continuous genetic analysis in order to be correctly identified and discriminated against during their control activities.
Optimal Management Model
Finally, another fundamental factor that contributes towards the success of the Orri mandarin is its high degree of exclusivity and an optimal management model.
In this sense, regardless of its country of origin, Spain is the only country licensed by the breeder to produce the variety throughout the Mediterranean arc, avoiding direct competition from other countries with much lower production costs.
This, together with the establishment of clear and transparent planting limits, in line with real market demand, and strict compliance with these commitments over time without extemporaneous regularisations or illegal planting, has preserved the exclusive characteristics of the Orri mandarin.
For more information visit www.orcspain.es.
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