This month, Mendoza will host the Second International Seminar on Early Fresh Cherries. The meeting will take place over two days and will place special emphasis on the production of early varieties and crop protection.
The initiative is promoted by the Mendoza Cherry Chamber, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Energy and the IDR. The Seminar is part of a strategic plan that has been designed jointly by the private sector and the Government of Mendoza, to “develop the investment potential of producers”, within the framework of the approval of the law that created the Cherry Integration and Development Fund (FIDEC).”
The meeting will bring together technical speakers and important companies from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Israel and the United States. The best advisors in the cherry sector will be present, so that participants can learn about early varieties and everything related to their protection, that is, the associated technological package.
“There will be exhibitions and panels on topics related to the sector, which is constantly growing and expanding. In addition, visitors will be able to tour the stands of companies that offer products and services in the sector,” the organizers announced.
During the second day of the Seminar, the lectures will be complemented with a field trip, where technology providers will train on systems for installing covers and macrotunnels, irrigation and soil regulators, among others.
On this last point, the Ministry of Economy highlighted: “The owners of the property will take advantage of the occasion to talk about their experiences in production and trade as a result of the investment made in early varieties and in technology for their protection, improvement of the microclimate, quality, productivity and for the advance of the harvest.”
Fresh early cherries from Mendoza
Mendoza obtains the first fruits to be produced in the entire Southern Hemisphere. It is a first for the markets, because it arrives before the Alto Valle, in Río Negro. It is one of the fruits with the best opportunities in the markets of North America and Asia.
In the last season, the harvest took place around October 20, a time when there is greater availability of labor, better logistics and “a receptive market willing to pay a differential price.” According to a sector representative: “all of the above makes it necessary to have these seminars aimed at producers from Mendoza, from other provinces (mainly from Patagonia) and foreign specialists and businessmen, especially from Chile.”
“Last year we participated in a similar event in the North of Chile, where they are working with a contemporary cherry to ours and therefore, there is interest from investors from across the Andes,” commented Facundo Quirós, from Mendoza Cherries.
