"When a producer sows, he doesn't always know whether he'll harvest. However, he certainly won't harvest if he doesn't sow" - this is the metaphor which Giacomo Suglia, sole administrator of
Consorzio Nu.Va.U.T (Nuove Varietà di Uva da Tavola), used to explain why 24 companies decided to collaborate with the CREA research center with the purpose of selecting and multiplying new table grape cultivars suitable for the Puglia territory. The project was presented on 11th September at Fiera del Levante in Bari.
Speakers' table
Puglia is the leading table grape producer on a European level and the third producer on a global level. According to what referred by Centro CREA di Viticoltura ed Enologia director Riccardo Velasco, "we started improving the varieties 15 years ago and we are finally starting to see the results. We didn't expect such a good feedback by so many companies. The main objective is to make room for table grape varieties developed by Italian researchers and that can constitute a valid alternative to the cultivars developed by famous breeders."
Velasco confirms that the results obtained so far are very promising: of the 100 selections obtained, 36 have been selected, 12 of which will be delivered in January for field tests, 24 will be registered by October, while the other 64 will be delivered over 10 years. All grapes are seedless or practically seedless with colors ranging from white and pink to black.
The great advantage is that they are selected and produced in Puglia, so they are an opportunity for businesses to commercialize valid grapes without having to pay royalties.
"Our objective is to create new products and make sure they are appreciated. This public-private collaboration is a positive example that can be potentially adapted to other sectors such as citrus fruit, tomatoes or peaches. In the future, we will also work on the resistance of vineyards to the main diseases."
Giacomo Suglia concluded by saying that "it is very important for producers to be directly involved. The first step was to be together and invest resources on this program. Over the next couple of years, we will see how to deal with commercialization so as to make the most of our investment. I consider this project a great chance to make our territory competitive and capable of tackling the future."
Producer Angelo Di Palma stresses the importance of the agreement: "us companies need to regain our competitive advantage. In a global market, our competitors can be anywhere and price cannot be the only element of differentiation. We can no longer focus on mass markets, we need to change the way we think, plan production through 2.0 technologies and work together as they do in Spain."
Watch the speech by Angelo Di Palma
Contacts: info@nuvaut.it