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The first Melone Mantovano PGI Symposium: a journey through tradition and the future of the supply chain
The Consortium for the Protection and Promotion of the Melone Mantovano PGI is organising an experience-led event from 22 to 24 July, bringing together, for the first time, growers, Italian and European distributors as well as the trade press. It will be a journey through traditional growing areas, the supply chain and future prospects.
Production dynamics, consumption trends in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, and varietal innovation will be the key themes of the first Melone Mantovano PGI Symposium, scheduled to take place from 22-24 July in Mantua, Lombardy and the surrounding area.
Organised by the Consortium for the Protection and Promotion of the Melone Mantovano PGI, in collaboration with five seed companies — Bayer, BASF, Clause, Syngenta and Rijk Zwaan — the event will transform Mantua and its environs into an open-air laboratory for the entire supply chain. The programme includes guided tours of trial fields, technical presentations and educational workshops.
The Symposium aims to boost engagement between producers, distributors and the fresh produce media, while putting at the centre of the conversation a fruit with deep historical roots — dating back to the Renaissance and the Gonzaga family, when melons were considered prestigious gifts amongst the nobility — and now looking boldly towards the future.
The Melone Mantovano PGI Consortium is opening the new season with a truly unique event: three days aimed at encouraging exchanges of knowledge and experiences among all players in the supply chain, through in-depth scientific insights, field visits and networking opportunities. The highlight of the event will be the conference on 23 July, held in the prestigious setting of the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, starting at 5pm. The focus will be on new production dynamics—mainly related to the challenges posed by climate change—and the evolution of consumer buying behaviour in both Italy and the broader Mediterranean region.
"Despite recent inclement weather bringing higher than usual rainfall and pushing temperatures below the seasonal average, the Melone Mantovano PGI season has officially begun. We are confident that, with the arrival of summer heat, our product will reach its usual production volumes," says Mauro Aguzzi, President of the Consortium. "The first Melone Mantovano PGI Symposium is a unique occasion to bring together the entire supply chain—to discuss the sector's challenges and future opportunities, and to give the industry a real lift. The Symposium will take place during a strategic phase of the season as our melons are in the market, when the harvest hits peak volumes and climate conditions should optimise the quality of both our melons and the experimental varieties, grown and assessed precisely during this period. We are convinced that, through interprofessional exchanges and the sharing of experiences, we can consolidate the successes of recent seasons and by working together map out the future steps needed to tackle energetically challenges in the future.”
Today, just as in the past, the Melone Mantovano PGI reflects the richness of a unique land—where traditional cultivation, certified quality and ongoing research come together in a virtuous cycle. The Symposium gives voice to this distinctive identity and will strengthen the professional bonds between all those who, on a daily basis, contribute to promoting an example of Italian excellence —already recognised and appreciated— with the ambition of extending its reputation far beyond local borders.
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