Preparations towards second edition of Global Citrus Congress in full speed

The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) Secretariat, together with its partners CIRAD, is finalising preparations towards the second edition of the Global Citrus Congress, which will take place on 16 and 17 November 2021. The virtual event, which managed to gather over 1000 delegates from across the globe in its first edition in 2020, will once again bring together the citrus community to discuss the current trends, challenges, and opportunities for the citrus sector. More than 500 participants from across the globe have already registered to attend the virtual congress.

Following the success of the first Global Citrus Congress in 2020, this year the event will take place online on 16 and 17 November 2021. The opening session of the first day (Tuesday 16 November from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. CET) will provide an in-depth discussion on production and marketing trends for fresh and processed citrus, including a panel discussion with key producing countries over the ongoing Northern Hemisphere 2021 citrus season. During the second day of the congress (Wednesday 17 November), 3 regional modules will zoom into specific issues of the citrus business in Asia (8:00 to 10.00 a.m. CET), Europe (3:00 to 5:00 p.m. CET), and North America (5:00 to 7:00 p.m. CET). Asia’s module will focus on key market developments and branding trends, with speakers including Wayne Prowse (Fresh Intelligence), Neil Barker (BGP International), and Hannes de Waal (Sundays River Citrus Company) among others. The European track of the Congress will in turn discuss post-harvest trends in citrus with key sector representatives from Agrofresh, Apeel, Citrosol, Decco, Jansen, and the Dutch Fresh Produce Centre. During Europe’s session, WCO’s General Delegate Philippe Binard will also discuss citrus consumption trends and promotion strategies with key market leaders from across the chain. Finally, the North America’s section will delve into the US citrus market trends with a focus on easy peelers, lemons, and limes. The strategies and challenges for key producing regions California and Florida will also feature in the programme.

WCO Co-Chair and Director of AILIMPO Jose Antonio Garcia affirmed: “We have been working intensely to improve on the first edition of the Global Citrus Congress by elaborating an attractive agenda with a stronger presence of business-led interactive debates. We want to consolidate the Congress as a must-attend event for the citrus sector, and we hope we held it physically in 2022”. WCO Co-Chair and CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa Justin Chadwick added: “After the success of the first edition in 2021, the Global Citrus Congress is on the right track to become the key annual event for the community to strengthen the position of citrus fruit in an ever-competitive, challenging environment”.

The Global Citrus Congress will take place online. The sessions will be live and free of charge to attend thanks to the support of our sponsors. Registrations are still open at https://www.citruscongress.com/. The opening session will be available both in English and Spanish.

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