Table Grape Meeting, the future of table grapes lies in innovation

With a yearly output of approximately 1 million tonnes with a 47,000 - hectare production area, Italy is the leading producer of table grapes in Europe, followed by Greece and Spain. In this context, Cesena Fiera has come up with the idea of organising an event dedicated to this product, with the aim of assessing the current situation in a constantly evolving sector with great potential. The “Table Grape Meeting” will take place on the occasion of the 36th edition of MACFRUT, on Friday 10 May 2019 at the Rimini Expo Centre, and the focus of the discussion will be on varietal innovation, starting with Italy’s development programmes, including the new international varieties that are currently produced in Italy, before moving on to outlining the new varieties that are set to reshape the market. In Italy, for example, in the two main table grape production areas, Apulia and Sicily, which cover 75% and 25% of the cultivated surface area respectively, the production of seedless grapes has increased considerably in the last decade, so much so that in Apulia it accounts for 30-35% of total production. The event will be divided into two sessions: during the first session, some of Italy’s leading players in the sector will discuss varietal innovation, sharing their hands-on experience and points of view on future developments; the second session, instead, will feature a round table discussion with the participation of European and international speakers from leading countries in the production and import of table grapes. To support the debate, video interviews with major Italian producers in the industry will be screened, providing opportunities for discussion and dialogue. The Congress is intended for Italian and foreign producers, buyers, technologists and importers. Participation is free of charge and it will be simultaneously translated into English.