Russia: Symposium focuses on greenhouse tomato production
The theme of this year was related to “Modern Technologies and their application in the production and sales of glasshouse products on the Russian market with a focus on tomatoes”.
Group picture of some of the participants
The symposium was started by one the Heads of Agrosemcenter, Mrs Irina Murashova and by Monsanto EMEA Vegetables Technical Development Lead, Mr. Joost van Regteren.
Joost van Regteren of the Technical Development team sharing info about data collection
After that, Mrs N. Rogova, General Director of the Association “Glasshouses of Russia” gave a presentation about the enormous growth of this market.
Not only the acreage increase was impressive but also the high market share of artificially lighted crop.
The result was that within 5 years the tomato import decreased from 81% (2013) towards 39% (2017).
This clear overview was followed by a presentation from Mr. J.C. Schneider (independent advisor). He explained in a very pragmatic way, based on facts and reliable calculations, the level of artificial light you need in winter time to produce 1 large truss tomato (Merlice), 1 kg beef tomato (Torero) and 1 truss of cherry tomatoes (Juanita) with the best specifications.
He also explained that growers and advisors need additional data and services to optimize the crop performance.
One of the other highlights was the presentation “The bright taste of a real tomato is a new trend of glasshouse production" by Monsanto Vegetables EMEA Solanaceous Breeding Lead, Mr. VK Kishore.
VK Kishore explained the flavor strategy within De Ruiter and Seminis tomato assortment
He explained clearly the different techniques you need to improve flavor and appearance in such a way that it is recognizable on the consumer level.
Nico van Vliet, Monsanto Vegetables Trade Partnership Manager, shared several trends and best practices about several segments in tomatoes.
Nico van Vliet sharing trends and trade partnership experiences
The audience appreciated the story-telling around the high sustainability level of large truss tomato Merlice and newcomer Sevance, which will help retailers in their category management positioning.
Merlice (spelled in Russian) was part of the Agrosemcenter market
During the afternoon there was a lot of time reserved for a panel discussion with representatives of supermarket chains, traders and intermediary companies hosted by moderator S. Shubin, director of the Eurasian Business Union.
The panel discussion about the way of trading now and in future
The visitors were impressed about the high level of knowledge sharing and willingness to collaborate.
For Agrosemcenter it was clear that they must continue in this futuristic direction.
For more information:
www.agrosemcenter.ru