Cesena (23 December 2021) – If there is one fruit that is becoming increasingly global it is certainly cherries. This product will not only be the symbol of Macfrut 2022, but it will also be in the spotlight at the Rimini Expo Centre, which will host the International Cherry Symposium (4-6 May) with the participation of the world’s greatest experts on the main product and process innovations, as well as top managers of international companies that play a key role in the market. And as the cherry on top, two field tours will offer participants the opportunity to take a first-hand look at the main innovations in terms of cherry production techniques, selection and processing.

It is now being organised by Macfrut in collaboration with the University of Bologna, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and the Marche Polytechnic University.

 

Cherries, new countries are emerging

There are several possible explanations for the global boom in cherry growing. A first aspect is evident by looking at the changing geography of cherry tree growing worldwide (see the table on surface evolution, yields per hectare in the last five-year period: source Faostat 2021). Over the last two decades, new countries such as Turkey, Chile and Uzbekistan have substantially invested in cherry trees and are now reaping the benefits, making targeted decisions based on modern planting technologies, as well as on post-harvest and varietal innovations. Within just a few years, these emerging countries have become world-leading cherry producing and trading countries. And we are not only talking about the surface area being invested in, but also about production and planting system yields, which have been growing steadily over the years.

 

Quality pays off: the example of Vignola

There is also another aspect to take into account: some regions have traditionally played a leading role in the international cherry market and are still able to be competitive as they have invested in branding policies and high-quality cherries. In particular, we are referring to Spain and Italy. In Italy, the most interesting case is that of Vignola, which shows how, when it comes to prices, quality and varietal innovation pay off (+€0.90 per kilo for traditional varieties, +€0.43 per kilo for new varieties).

The attached graph shows the prices prevailing on the Vignola Market for the five traditional and five new PGI-certified and non-PGI-certified cherry varieties (Source: Mercato di Vignola – NCX Drahorad, 2021).

Traditional varieties: BRL = Burlat; SMB = Samba; GRS = Grace Star; FRR = Ferrovia; LPN = Lapins; x = average of the five varieties.

New varieties: SA = Sweet Aryana; SL = Sweet Lorenz; SG = Sweet Gabriel; SV = Sweet Valina; SS = Sweet Saretta; x = average of the five varieties.

 

International Cherry Symposium

All this and much more will be discussed at the International Cherry Symposium, which will consist of several separate events: a two-day advanced training session in Bertinoro (2-3 May), the Global symposium on key issues relating to the cherry tree, to be held at Macfrut (4 May), an event focusing on market trends with the participation of the sector’s leading players and guided tours of major companies in the sector that will be attending Macfrut (5 May), and a tour of the main cherry tree growers to get a first-hand look at product innovations (6 May).

 

Info: cherrysymposium.com

 

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