SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 25th June (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Tenerife Island Council, in collaboration with the Horticultural Sciences Society of Spain and the Canarian Institute of Agricultural Research (ICIA), has arranged a conference titled ‘Mediterranean and Subtropical Fruit Trees facing climate change, sustainability, and digitalisation’. The event was attended by about 200 participants.
Over 140 scientists and experts from 12 autonomous regions are taking part in these discussions, alongside representatives from 18 Spanish universities and 19 research and technology centres, along with more than 15 companies and cooperatives.
The vice president of the Island Council, Lope Afonso, and the Primary Sector councillor, Valentín González, inaugurated the congress on Tuesday. The programme will run for three days in Puerto de la Cruz. Apart from presentations and talks, it includes visits to locations such as the Las Llanadas farm (Los Realejos), the La Quinta Roja farm (Garachico), and the La Laja farm (Buenavista), where the Island Council is driving innovative initiatives related to technology and research to enhance crop yields.
Afonso and González emphasised that hosting these sessions in Tenerife underscores the Island Council’s dedication to the primary sector, as “a domain that can effectively contribute to the island’s economic diversification.”
Afonso highlighted that through a comprehensive strategy, the Island Council aims for “local produce to serve as added value to Tenerife as a tourist spot: a distinctive feature that enhances the supplementary offerings, ensuring quality and excellence in the tourists’ experience of the island.”
Similarly, Afonso and González pointed out that this initiative is a way to support producers by fostering forums where professionals nationwide can exchange and share their experiences, thereby aiding the modernisation of the agricultural sector in Tenerife, making it more competitive, profitable, and ensuring a generational transition.
This conference also incorporates the II National Citriculture Conference, the XII National Conference of the Fruit Growing Group, and the VIII National Conference of the Olive Growing Group.
Across the three-day event, activities will focus on hosting scientific sessions featuring groundbreaking suggestions from the fruit-growing industry, including aspects like production, processing, commercialisation, and enhancing product standards.
