This is a busy time for the ARRA varieties in Italy. Although the Italian ARRA grapes are not yet being harvested, the ARRA brand was represented at the Macfrut Exhibition and Table Grape Symposium, which took place in Rimini, Italy.

Marco Tempesta, Agronomist from the AVI team, notes “it has been a great opportunity to meet old and new sub-licensees interested in planting the ARRA varieties. All three days were super busy at the stand with great enthusiasm regarding the table grape sector.” 

The first day of the symposium focused mainly on the technical and genetic aspects of the industry. The AVI team gave a lecture about the ARRA breeding program, emphasizing the agronomic technical support at the disposal of the ARRA growers, ensuring the genetic features of the varieties are fully expressed. They were followed by Azhar Tambuwala from Sahyadri Farms, the ARRA Varieties Exclusive Representative in India, who discussed India and the table grape industry. Azhar recaps: “The fair was very good and had plenty of people from the global industry, with lots of good viewpoints and presentations to learn from. The audience was appreciative to learn of India’s potential, especially as they did not know much about our industry, which is rarely formally spoken of”.

The second day, was more commercially oriented, spotlighting on market and production trends, involving the world’s top players. Carlo Lingua, CEO of AVI, gave an intresting lecture.