Italian berry breeder Nova Siri Genetics (NSG) has consolidated its partnership with India’s Mahaberry and 8 Berries following the signing of an agreement in August 2024.  

Indian strawberry fields 

The companies held two conferences in December, hosting local strawberry producers, associations, and government agencies for a series of presentations on NSG’s breeding programme and variety development.  

NSG breeder, Nicola Tufaro, was the keynote speaker at the events held in the strawberry growing region of Mahabaleshwar in central India and the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, an area in southern India with great potential for growth in strawberry cultivation. 

“It was a valuable opportunity to present our genetic improvement activities and new varieties to producers, associations, and government agencies,” Tufaro said. “We noticed a strong interest from the Indian players in new strawberry cultivars capable of improving both production performances and product quality present to date in that territory.”  

Pillai Srinivasan, managing director of Mahaberry and 8 berries, said the presentations were received with considerable interest by Indian growers.  

“The producers in Mahabaleshwar are looking for new better performing strawberry varieties in terms of both quantity and fruit quality to replace the age-old existing varieties,” Srinivasan said. “Therefore, NSG’s presentation at the conferences sparked great enthusiasm among producers, as they were able to learn about NSG’s new varieties, which are showing very positive results in areas of the world with climatic conditions similar to India’s berry-growing regions. New growers were encouraged and were delighted about the news regarding further establishment of strawberry plant nurseries in India for the production of quality plants.” 

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