The Plant Nursery Area, an exhibition of innovations in the plant nursery industry, will host four workshops on the new frontiers in genetic improvement at the 42nd edition of Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable supply chain, to be held in Rimini next May.

The ‘Varieties International Project’ (VIP) is a series of focus sessions on genetic improvement and new varieties in modern fruit growing and will include four workshops with top experts in the field of breeding, as well as leading global companies specialising in genetics and variety development. The workshops will take place at Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable supply chain, from Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 May, as part of the Plant Nursery Area, the exhibition of innovations in the plant nursery industry.

The first two days of the trade fair will feature a total of four events. Apple and pear tree varieties will be discussed on Tuesday 6 May, with Actinidia in the afternoon. On Wednesday 7 May, the focus will be on new stone fruit and citrus varieties.

‘It is a unique opportunity to learn about the results of the world’s most important fruit and citrus breeding projects,’ explains Stefano Lugli, coordinator of the Plant Nursery Area at Macfrut 2025, ‘and a great opportunity to talk directly to those who are creating and developing these innovations: breeders, publishers, management consortia and plant nurseries.’

Breeding today is all about commitment, creativity, strategic planning and the sharing of roles and expertise across sectors to achieve a common goal, which is to create innovative and fully sustainable products across the industry in order to meet the current needs of producers, markets and consumers.
‘Creating new fruit varieties and turning them into a profitable business,’ adds Lugli, ‘requires combining scientific expertise in genetics and genomics with business skills and market insight, strategic cross-industry partnerships and the development of effective branding and marketing strategies. Only by following this approach, in addition to investing in innovative breeding programmes, conducting in-depth market research, securing intellectual property rights and developing effective branding policies, establishing strong partnerships and pursuing continuous innovation can we develop authentic new fruit varieties that meet consumer needs and stand out in the market.’

As objectives change, new technologies are providing breeders with more precise and effective tools to help them achieve these new goals.

‘Over the past few years,’ concludes Lugli, ‘fruit breeding has largely shifted from focusing on its traditional objectives to focusing on new ones. The development and selection of genetic innovations, including new varieties and rootstocks, is now more sensitive to critical issues such as environmental and cultural sustainability, adaptation to climate change and resistance to major pests. Recent advances in biotechnology, through genetic and molecular approaches, have enabled these priorities to be achieved more quickly and at a lower cost than was possible until recently.’

The VIP – Varieties International Project is organised by Macfrut and sponsored by SOI (Italian Society for Horticultural Science), CIVI Italia (Interprofessional Centre for Nursery Activities) and EUFRIN (European Fruit Research Institutes Network).

The promotional campaign of the 37th edition of Macfrut, the trade fair for the fresh produce industry to be held in May 2020 in Rimini (Italy), has begun. International missions are underway and early booking is now available.

Registrations are now open for the next edition of Macfrut, the international fruit and vegetable trade fair organised by Cesena Fiera, which will be held from 5 to 7 May 2020 at the Rimini Expo Centre (Italy). Last year’s numbers show that Macfrut is a growing trade fair, which year after year has become a major benchmark event for companies operating in the sector and seeking to expand their network of business contacts in new markets. In 2019, 43,500 visitors came to Rimini to attend the three-day event, and a quarter of them were from abroad: 50 % from Europe, 17 % from Central and South America, 14 % from Eastern Europe and Russia, 10 % from Africa, and 9 % from the Middle and Far East. As far as exhibitors are concerned, 20 % of the more than 1,000 participating companies were from abroad. The following is a breakdown of exhibitors by sector: 39 % production and trade, 17 % machinery and technology for sorting and packing, 14 % packaging, 13 % logistics and services, 7 % machinery and technology for plant growing and protection, 5 % plant nurseries and seeds, and 5 % fertilisers and crop protection products.

The 37th edition of Macfrut will be packed with brand new content to further increase business opportunities for companies in the fresh produce industry. Among these, the “Spices & Herbs Global Expo”, an area entirely dedicated to the world of spices, officinal and aromatic herbs, will be set up for the first time not only in Rimini but also in Europe. In addition to the exhibition area, interested companies will have the opportunity to participate in various side events and conferences on these topics and to reach out to and make contact with new customers from all over the world, especially from Asia and Africa, and to benefit from a custom schedule of B2B meetings. On this occasion, Ismea – Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market – will introduce the Global observatory on spices and officinal herbs and, for the first time, will provide an overview of this rapidly growing sector, although the data currently available is not yet sufficient to provide a snapshot of the situation.

With the early booking offer, which is valid until 31 December 2019, companies interested in participating in the 2020 edition can register at a reduced fee. All the details are available in the dedicated section of the official website of Macfrut, www.macfrut.com.