The first International Garlic Congress was held in Madrid on 25th-26th February 2014.
Between producers, researchers and technicians from various parts of the chain, 100 took part.
In addition to Spain - the host country - another 25 countries attended, among them, France, Italy, England, Holland, Ukraine, Russia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Israel.
The image above shows the 4 main garlic production centres worldwide - Spain is the main European producer and second exporter worldwide (65,000 tons) together with Argentina, whereas China is the first producer. These three countries represent over 90% of global garlic exports. China produces 84% of garlic worldwide but only exports half of it.
Discussions were opened by Isabel García Tejerina, the Spanish Agriculture and Food Secretary, who listed the various topics on the agenda and complimented the work group on their initiative.
José Antonio Lostal, Marketing Director JJ Broch and the man who organised the conference, stressed how mechanisation is key to remaining competitive without affecting quality. Nowadays, over 40 countries rely on mechanised garlic production.
Le Aie, producer of PDO Voghera garlic was the only Italian representative. Ettore Navarra, technical manager, said that "as an Italian producer, I feel very small next to Spain, Argentina or China, but I have to say that, while their strength is quantity, we rely on high-quality. Their mass production helps exalt Italian niches."
In the photo, Ettore Navarra, Alessandro Benini and Alessandro Evangelisti from Le Aie together with Joaquin Broch, owner of Broch (www.jjbroch.com), the company producing garlic processing machinery, the sponsor of the congress.
As regards the campaign, Ettore Navarra comments that "even though less quantities were sold, our client base is growing both domestically and abroad thanks to the high quality of our produce."
A. Lostal concludes that "the Congress went very well and the information exchange between producers, researchers and buyers from all over the world was excellent."
Contacts:
Azienda Agricola Le Aie
Gualdo Di Voghiera (FE)
Tel.: 0532 328046
Ettore Navarra - Responsabile Tecnico
Email: ettore@leaie.com
Web: www.leaie.com