The tenth edition of the International Berry Congress, organised by Freshuelva, will take place on 18 and 19 June at the Casa Colón in Huelva, which will once again host the most important event dedicated to berries, establishing the province as the global hub for the berry industry. The announcement of the dates for this tenth edition has coincided with the signing of an agreement with the Caja Rural del Sur Foundation, which has renewed its commitment to the Congress and will once again be the exclusive main sponsor of this event. The agreement was signed by the presidents of the Caja Rural del Sur Foundation and Freshuelva, José Luis García-Palacios Álvarez and Francisco José Gómez, respectively.
The organisers are preparing for a special edition to mark the tenth anniversary of this Congress, a fixture in the agricultural sector’s calendar of events and the main meeting point for producers, traders and ancillary businesses, both nationally and internationally, who come to Huelva to discuss and analyse the present and future of a sector that is predominantly an exporter of berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, which are also noted for their health benefits.
Indeed, the focus on health through the consumption of soft fruits will be one of the key themes at the conference, which will also address other issues of concern to the sector, such as water, disinfection, marketing to new markets, and the socio-economic value of production.
José Luis García-Palacios Álvarez highlighted that “the tenth edition of the International Red Berries Congress represents another significant step forward in consolidating the profile of the province of Huelva as a meeting point for the sector, not only at a national level but also at a European level, a place where experiences, trends and campaign results can be exchanged annually. Caja Rural del Sur and its Foundation have, from the very first year, made a firm commitment to this Congress and have always supported Freshuelva to ensure it has the greatest media impact amongst the various stakeholders and key players in the sector, and we will continue to do so”.
For his part, the president of Freshuelva thanked the Foundation for the support it has always given to the sector and, in particular, for organising this Congress, now in its tenth edition, which he hoped would live up to all the expectations surrounding the most important event in the soft fruit sector.
Francisco José Gómez said he was “very excited” about the upcoming edition of the Congress and expressed his hope that the event would serve to strengthen unity within the sector, providing a platform from which to analyse the current situation and tackle existing challenges so that the sector can continue to grow and remain a global leader in the production and marketing of berries. Also present at the signing ceremony were the director of the Caja Rural del Sur Foundation, Emilio Ponce, and the manager of Freshuelva, Rafael Domínguez.
In this context, the organising committee of the 10th International Berry Congress is already working on the design of the official programme, which will be complemented by the participation of various companies in the technical conferences that will also take place at Casa Colón during the two days of the Congress.
With over 1,700 attendees at the last edition, the 10th International Red Berries Congress is still accepting bookings for exhibition spaces, whilst registration for the congress will open shortly and can be completed via www.congresofrutosrojos.com.
