Macfrut 2020, the Tropical Fruit Congress will be dedicated to avocados

A two-day event with more than ten international speakers and a single theme. These are the numbers of the third edition of the Tropical Fruit Congress, an international event to discuss exotic fruit, to be held during Macfrut on 6 and 7 May 2020. The star of the event will be a single fruit, namely avocado: in the last few years, avocado consumption has increased exponentially worldwide, especially in the EU. In fact, in the 2018-2019 season, avocado consumption in Europe increased by 19% over the previous season and by as much as 111% over 2013-2014, with an estimated total of 636,119 tonnes. In terms of sales volumes, the first consumer country in Europe is France, with 145,000 tonnes consumed, followed by the UK (105,633 tonnes), Germany (82,327 tonnes) and Spain (72,122 tonnes). Italy ranks sixth, with 22,340 tonnes, up 29% from 2017-2018 and up 248% from 2013-2014. However, in terms of per capita consumption, Denmark ranks first (2.69 kg), followed by Norway (non-EU country – 2.53 kg), the Netherlands (2.32 kg), France (2.16 kg) and Sweden (2.07 kg). (source: data processed by CIRAD, based on EUROSTAT and professional sources) The third edition of the Tropical Fruit Congress will be spread over two days. The first day will be Wednesday 6 May, from 2.30pm, with a session coordinated by Roberto Della Casa - Agroter/Bologna University, focusing on the avocado market in Europe. Daria Lodi of CSO Italy will explain consumption patterns in Europe; Thomas Padilla, Senior Director of Export Sales at Mission Produce, will focus on new countries that supply avocados to Europe, such as Peru, Colombia and Guatemala, and will explain how these supplies will help to meet the growing demand for consumption all year round; Said Bannany, Director of Total Exotics, instead, will talk about traditional supplier countries. These speeches will be followed by a round table on how to sell avocados in Europe, which will be attended by buyers and retailers who will share their direct experiences. The second day will be Thursday 7 May, from 10am to 1.30pm, with a session coordinated by Pierre Escodo, Director of Eurofresh Distribution, focusing on production and post-harvest and what’s new in the sector. The speakers will provide an overview of the situation in several key countries in the sector: Michael Horney of Peruvian Agritrade will explain how the sector has evolved in Peru; Jorge Restrepo, Executive Director of Corpohass, will provide an overview of Colombia, while Andrea Passanisi of Sicilia Avocado will focus on avocado production in Italy. Speeches will also be given by Therese Bruwer of Westphalia, who will describe the various cultivars of each producer country, and Eelke Westra of Wageningen University who will present a research on improving avocado quality in the post-harvest phase. To conclude, a technical workshop on post-harvest innovations will be held, with the participation of major technological players. Sponsorship: Companies can be a sponsor at the Congress, in GOLD or SILVER mode. So far, the companies that have joined include Ziehl-Abegg, Aweta, TR Turoni, Spreafico, Felix-Instruments, Dole and Procomer - Essential Costa Rica. Registration: Registrations are now open and special rates are available until 31 March. For further information and to register online, please go to the “Register Now” section of the website www.tropicalfruitcongress.com