Italian group joins forces with India’s Qul Fruits to establish protected variety management platform
The Italian Consortium of Nurseries (CIV) has partnered with Indian horticulture and agtech solutions company Qul Fruits to establish IVAR - Variety Management and Genetics Private Limited, describing it as “South Asia’s first dedicated platform for protected fruit variety management and IP stewardship”.
The joint venture was announced at a launch event held in Srinagar, Kashmir, on 19 May, which brought together growers, scientists, nursery operators, policymakers, and institutional representatives from across India’s temperate horticulture sector.
CIV was represented by managing director Federico Stanzani and vice-president Pier Filippo Tagliani.
Bridging a long-standing gap
Despite the Himalayan region’s “exceptional agro-climatic conditions” for temperate fruit growing, Indian horticulture has long lacked a trusted and legally aligned institutional framework capable of connecting growers with advanced global genetics, said CIV in a media release.
For decades, fragmented access to varieties, limited breeder rights protection and unregulated propagation systems have restricted the sector’s development potential, it noted.
IVAR has been established to address these challenges. Operating initially across Jammu & Kashmir and the wider Himalayan belt, the platform will facilitate the legal introduction of protected fruit varieties through internationally aligned systems covering licensing, traceability, quality assurance, and varietal governance.
Complementary strengths
IVAR’s strength lies in the complementarity of the founding partners, CIV noted.
“CIV contributes an internationally protected genetics portfolio, decades of breeding expertise, and established IP frameworks,” it said.
“Qul Fruits – a full-stack horticulture enterprise with deep roots across the Indian Himalayan value chain, from nursery development to post-harvest logistics – brings the on-ground integration and farmer relationships essential for responsible, large-scale deployment.
“Together, we offer breeders the institutional confidence to engage with the Indian market, and growers the access to high-performance and scientifically evaluated varieties they have long been denied.”
IVAR’s mandate extends well beyond variety introduction, CIV said. The platform is structured around five core functions: variety evaluation and introduction; structured licensing; IP protection; end-to-end traceability; and farmer commitment.
Its long-term ambition is to establish the Himalayas as a credible region for global breeders and R&D institutions, and to build a replicable model for variety management across wider South Asia.
“For us, this partnership reflects a continued commitment to bringing the value of advanced fruit genetics to new growers: responsibly, transparently, and with breeders at the centre,” it said.
