Fruit Focus 2009, which will be held at East Malling Research in Kent, UK on 22 July, is set to welcome 100 leading fruit and wine production sector suppliers to its forum programme, which this year focuses on the themes of consumer spend and produce quality.
Programme highlights will this year include crop demonstrations from manufacturers and research bodies, machinery and equipment demonstrations, farm tours and the NFU and Syngenta Bioline Fruit Forums.
'Our Fruit Focus partners, Berry Gardens, the NFU, Syngenta Bioline, HDC, English Wine Producers, UKVA and coupled with event hosts East Malling Research, represent some of the sector's most influential players,' said Haymarket Exhibitions event manager John Day. 'They have all added immense value in developing content which addresses the primary issues facing topfruit, soft fruit and vine markets such as the impact of the credit crunch on consumer buying habits, labour shortages, escalated input costs, pesticide concerns linked to the 91/414 review and residues management.'
In addition to the event's main themes, topics under discussion will also include carbon footprinting of orchards, biopesticides for soft fruit and vines and horticulture under the Conservatives.
Farm tours will show the work that East Malling Research is undertaking in water use efficiency and fruit quality in strawberries, integrated pest and disease management for high-quality protected raspberry production and Concept Pear Orchard, which features intensive Dutch growing systems alongside conventional planting.
'I don't think that there's anywhere else that UK fruit growers – or indeed anyone else in the industry – can visit and benefit from as wide a range of valuable information as there will be on offer at Fruit Focus,' Mr Day added. 'The content is precisely what the progressive UK grower needs to develop their business in the future.'
No comments yet