Three-day conference will explore climate change impacts, evolving consumer preferences, and strategies to enhance value for the protected geographical indication melons, backed by new multi-country consumer research.
Key players in the Italian and European melon business – including breeders BASF, Bayer, HM Clause, Rijk Zwaan, and Syngenta – will meet on 22-24 July in Mantua for the first Melone Mantovano PGI Symposium, a three-day event focused on topical issues concerning the sector.
The event, which is organised by the Melone Mantovano PGI Consortium in collaboration with leading seed companies, includes a conference hosted by SG Marketing on Wednesday, 23 July, at the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua.
It aims to giving a voice to producers, understand consumer attitudes, and create real value for retail buyers.
Prominent industry figures will discuss the sector’s present situation and future development, especially challenges related to climate change, changing consumer habits, production potential, and the increasingly strategic role of provenance.
The event also includes guided visits to trial fields, expert panels, and networking opportunities. “This conference,” says consortium president Mauro Aguzzi, “is the centrepiece of the symposium: an authoritative gathering bringing together the perspectives of producers, distributors and consumers.
“It’s an occasion designed to generate vision, drive innovation and strengthen the value associated with the Melone Mantovano PGI across Italian and European markets.
“It marks a new starting point, founded on up-to-date and shared data, from which we can build effective strategies to support the entire sector in moving forward into the future.”
In-depth research
The conference programme will provide an in-depth look at the current state of the melon sector and emerging challenges the market faces.
Among key contributions will be an overview of European and Italian production trends presented by Elisa Macchi, director of CSO Italy.
A session led by physicist and meteorologist Andrea Giuliacci will examine the effects of global warming on agricultural productivity.
And the conference will delve into consumer habits. International market research company YouGov will present an overview of current food trends, followed by a first-of-its-kind, multi-country consumer study commissioned by SG Marketing and called Melon perceptions: purchase and consumption experiences. A focus on Italy, France and Spain.
The study, based on a sample of 2,600 shoppers across those three countries, will provide up-to-date insights on category perception, barriers to purchasing, information searched for while in store, and the influence of product origin and provenance on consumer choices. The event will conclude with direct input from members of the consortium, who will provide the latest status updates on this year’s harvest and share details about current strategies for marketing and promoting PGI Mantuan Melons.
