Giving a voice to table grape growers, who face market difficulties, production costs and distribution challenges every day. The third day of LUV Fiera, the international event dedicated to the entire table grape supply chain, will address the concerns of Apulian growers with a meeting scheduled for Thursday, 22 October, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the B2B area of LUV Fiera.
The meeting follows a request from Ruggiero Iodice, coordinator of the Facebook page Coltivatori Uva da Tavola, who proposed that the organisers of LUV Fiera provide a space for discussion to bring issues directly affecting growers to the attention of the sector.
The social media group is one of the oldest bringing together professionals from across the supply chain and has more than 51,000 members.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to highlight the difficulties faced by agricultural businesses and gather the concerns of a key component of the supply chain at a particularly challenging time for the market and goods transportation, also marked by protests by road hauliers.
The initiative
It forms part of LUV Fiera’s broader mission to bring together companies, buyers, researchers, technicians and international experts in Bari, with the aim of fostering dialogue among the different stakeholders in the sector.
Alongside innovation, research, technology and business opportunities, the event also provides a platform for discussing issues affecting production and the economic sustainability of agricultural businesses.
The third and final day of the event, held in the Apulian capital, will focus on gastronomy, sport and the health benefits of table grapes. Guests will include Dr Maria Notarnicola, senior researcher at the IRCCS Saverio de Bellis Hospital in Castellana Grotte.
At the Fiera del Levante exhibition centre, students from hotel and catering schools will take centre stage with their creations, ranging from desserts to grape-based cocktails.
With 192 exhibitors from 19 countries, the second edition of LUV Fiera confirms the international scope of an event that aims to connect the different players in the supply chain, creating opportunities to discuss current challenges and the future prospects of table grapes.
The event is already looking ahead to its next edition, scheduled to take place at Nuova Fiera del Levante in Bari on 4, 5 and 6 July 2028. Its aim is to consolidate its role as a business and development platform for the sector, taking place at the beginning of the table grape marketing season, a strategic period for negotiations and market agreements.
Programme for the third day
The morning programme in the Auditorium will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the roundtable discussion “Table grapes and the local area: agriculture, tourism and gastronomy”, moderated by Mario Bolivar Pennelli (Gambero Rosso), with contributions from Vito Fraschini, Domenico Pinto, Donatella Privitera, Mariella Santoliquido and Rosella Anna Maria Giorgio.
At 10:45 a.m., a talk organised by Le Donne dell’Ortofrutta will address the topic “CIBARIA – The evolution of viticulture: climate, women and stories”, featuring Benedetta Fatano, meteorologist Raffaele Laricchia and Lonia Pepe, moderated by Tea Di Lorenzo.
Solidarity and local communities will take centre stage at 11:30 a.m. with the meeting “Cultivating communities: social farming experiences in Puglia”, coordinated by Ilaria De Marinis (Fruit Communication), with Marco Notarnicola, Angelo Santoro, Pasquale Ferrante, Giorgio Mercuri and Luigi Trotta.
RELATED NEWS: LUV Fiera: Bari becomes the international capital of table grapes
The morning session will conclude at 12:45 p.m. with a focus on nutrition and research entitled “Beyond taste: table grapes, health, sport and research”, again led by Mario Bolivar Pennelli, together with Marianna Valenzano, Rosanna Milella and Maria Notarnicola.
At the same time, LUV Agorà will host discussions on the sector’s economic landscape and strategies. The programme will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a Confcooperative Puglia roundtable on producer cooperation and Common Market Organisation (CMO) instruments, moderated by Vincenzo Patruno, with Giorgio Mercuri, Filomena Sacco and university lecturer Angelo Frascarelli.
From 11:30 a.m., a series of short sessions led by Federica Del Vecchio will address financial instruments, the attractiveness of agricultural employment and economic sustainability.
At 12:15 p.m., the morning programme will conclude with a summit organised by Coldiretti Puglia, APEO and CREA entitled “What strategy for table grapes? Innovation, economics and value creation”.
The session will be moderated by Pietro Piccioni, with contributions from Francesco Paolicelli, Giacomo Suglia, Antonello Garzoni, Maria Francesca Cardone, Michele La Porta and Alfonso Cavallo.
In the afternoon, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., the programme will conclude with a closed meeting of MIVA (Moltiplicatori Italiani Viticoli Associati), focusing on the future of the grapevine nursery sector.
LUV – The Table Grape Fair is organised by Fruit Communication with the support of Nuova Fiera del Levante, APEO, CUT – Italian Table Grape Commission, and Associazione Uva da Tavola Siciliana. UniCredit is the event’s main sponsor.
The event is held in collaboration with the Apulia Region’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Bari Chamber of Commerce. Institutional partners also include the Municipality of Bari and the Metropolitan City of Bari, while partners and industry associations include SG Marketing and Coldiretti Puglia.
Fix the opening sentence fragmentMake the headline more news-led
