Commercialising new cultivars requires a supply chain approach

Abstract

Product innovation through commercialisation of new cultivars presents an opportunity for growth and value creation in horticulture supply chains. Consumers today are presented with an increasing array of products. The growing competition for consumer expenditure requires a whole of supply chain approach to successfully commercialise new cultivars. The supply chain needs to deliver value and satisfaction to the end customer, consumers, and profitability for their members. Critical to getting the product right is developing inherent robustness into the cultivar, and processes and systems through the whole supply chain that maintain product quality and add value. This paper describes our approach to working with a supply chain manager to build an effective supply chain to achieve successful commercialisation of a new mango cultivar. The cultivar was primarily selected for good production characteristics and attractive visual appeal. The performance of fruit is being monitored from farm to retail shelf to identify points where quality is lost and practices that need to be improved. A targeted R&D program is investigating practices to improve production efficiency (nutrition, flowering and canopy management), maturity standards to optimise flavour, harvesting and packing practices to reduce skin damage, and ripening and handling practices to optimise saleable life. This integrated approach is based on similar approaches used to improve the performance of existing mango and avocado cultivars.