The Region of Murcia has recently become the international meeting point for the table grape sector. Producers from 5 continents have come to the region to learn about the new table grape varieties promoted since 2002 by the genetic improvement program of the Murcian Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Development (IMIDA), in collaboration with the Murcian Society of Research and Technology of Table Grapes (ITUM).
According to Francisco González Zapater, the secretary general of the Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, "the goal of this public-private collaboration is to offer consumers and producers new good quality varieties that are better adapted to the current climatic conditions, are economically profitable, and meet the needs of the markets."
"This program allows us to obtain varieties that are more resistant to diseases, with the dual purpose of reducing the use of phytosanitary products, one of the objectives of the 2030 agenda, and alleviating the production shortages that European producers are currently experiencing because of the EU's ban on chemical products," he added.
The result of this collaboration between the IMIDA and ITUM is 20 registered seedless varieties, which stand out for their crunchy texture and high productivity. The Murcian producers that make up ITUM have planted more than 1,250 hectares, which account for more than 20% of the regional area. Currently, there are 24 companies producing table grapes that account for more than 98% of the production of the Region of Murcia.
The Region of Murcia has become a world reference, together with California, in the innovation of table grapes. This is demonstrated by the fact that the 20 new seedless table grape varieties obtained and registered in the Region of Murcia by IMIDA-ITUM are currently grown in more than 1,800 hectares of 11 countries on five continents.
"The regional government promoted the development of new varieties to strengthen local producers. However, due to the interest shown by producers from the rest of the world, this plant material has been sent to Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, and, recently, to India, where Murcia's table grape varieties are produced in counter-season to give continuity in international markets," Gonzalez Zapater stated.
Source: carm.es
