South Korea's resort island of Jeju, aims to develop their own tangerine and kiwi varieties to be less dependant on Japan and Zespri.
The island, known for producing the sweet and sour produce have traditionally used Japanese tangerine varieties and adapted it for local use. The Jeju Agriculture Technology Institute aims to develop four new tangerine varieties by 2023. This is to help meet local demand for fruit during their autumn holiday period in December. Tangerines are about 40% of Jeju's fruit production.
More than half of Jeju's kiwi farmers grow Zespri kiwis. The institute is also busy developing new types of golden kiwis. They hope this will make producers on the island less reliant on Zespri from New Zealand.