International Asparagus Days, a four-part event

210,000 hectares of green, white, and violet asparagus are grown worldwide: as far as extra-European countries are concerned, the main producers are China (57,000 ha), Peru (20,000 ha), and Mexico (20,000 ha); as for Europe, asparagus cultivation is mainly concentrated in Germany (19,000 ha), Spain (14,000 ha), and Italy (9,000 ha). This cultivation has a great potential, as it is estimated that 60,000 more hectares will be required to meet future demand. Cesena Fiera, together with the Italian expert Luciano Trentini and with the French consultant Christian Befve, decided to bet on this product organizing an international event entirely dedicated to asparagus, from 16 to 18 October in Cesena: International Asparagus Days, a world forum on the whole asparagus sector. “International Asparagus Days is an event covering all the stages of the asparagus production chain up to the point of sale” – says Luciano Trentini, one of the promoters of the event. “The event will be made up of four parts: the exhibition, field demonstrations, technical visits, and an extensive programme of high-level conferences”. On 16-17 October, there will be an exhibition with companies from all over the world operating in the asparagus sector: from seeds, crowns and plants up to the manufacturing of machinery and technologies for sowing, transplanting, harvesting and packaging. “In particular, the exhibitors producing machinery and equipment will be able to present their innovations in an area made up of both greenhouses and open field specifically created for this event next to the exhibition halls. There, thanks to a series of live field demonstrations, it will be possible to observe the functioning of transplanters, soil machines, harvesters, etc.” – explains Mr Trentini. On 16-17 October, there will also be an extensive programme of high-level conferences: speakers from all over the world will talk about agronomic, commercial, and technical aspects, focusing in particular on low environmental impact techniques. Furthermore, the exhibiting companies and especially the sponsors will have the chance to present the public with their productive and commercial activities. Finally, on October 18 it will be possible to take part in technical visits to some production facilities in Emilia Romagna and Veneto, where white and green asparagus are produced. “We thought asparagus cultivation was only linked to a strong tradition, but today we know that there is a great deal of innovation in this sector” – affirms Mr Trentini. “Thanks to this event in Cesena, all asparagus producers will explore innovative, useful solutions to be used in their facilities. Among these, the creation of new cultivars to attract more and more consumers, and the innovative systems aiming at making this species even more sustainable and at extending the harvest period, so that we can have asparagus in different months of the year”. International Asparagus Days will be held at Cesena Fiera from 16 to 18 October 2018. For more informationwww.asparagusdays.com