With a high-level technical agenda and significant space for public-private collaboration, the first day of the event clearly signaled Mendoza’s intention to establish a strong presence on the global cherry map, leveraging earliness as its main competitive advantage to solidify its position in the early harvest window.

The event brought together producers, specialists, companies, industry leaders, and investors from Argentina, Chile, China, Italy, and Peru. Presentations addressed cherry cultivation from a comprehensive perspective, covering genetics, agronomic management, applied technologies, post-harvest handling, and markets. Throughout the presentations, it became clear that the challenge lies not only in production but also in achieving quality, efficiency, and a commercially focused approach.

Among the key technical topics, presentations on rootstocks and in-vitro propagation, strategies for improving fruit size and uniformity, and production models adapted to Mendoza’s specific conditions were particularly noteworthy. The study also delved into aspects such as fruit firmness, the use of calcium and biostimulation, and the incorporation of coatings to accelerate physiological processes.

A key theme was the need to professionalize management practices. “Argentina has a focus on pioneering new developments; the idea is to begin consolidating technical management practices. Perhaps compared to Chile, they are not as far ahead, and the goal is for them to strive for stable and consistent production results,” stated Chilean consultant and producer Felipe Salaya, who emphasized the importance of quantifying and measuring variables such as climate and irrigation to achieve efficiency and scale up production.

Another key point was the presentation of local production projects with agronomic and economic analyses, demonstrating that early cherries can be a viable diversification alternative, especially for wine producers.

The market context also played a central role, with emphasis on the fact that when early fruit meets quality standards, it commands the best prices of the season, thus reinforcing the business’s attractiveness.

Between the presentations, a discussion was held between representatives of the public and private sectors, which reinforced the need for collaboration to sustain growth. Within this framework, the role of plant health, market access, and support policies as key factors for competitiveness was highlighted.

One of the participants in the discussion was Sergio Moralejo, Undersecretary of Agriculture and Livestock of the neighboring country, who stated that “the good news is that there are forums to discuss these issues. Without ideas, there are no results. Argentina is undergoing a process of macroeconomic structural change that aims to streamline public finances and, obviously, the production system as well. I believe the potential of cherries, and especially early cherries, is truly enormous. Asset prices, land income, and other factors are much lower than for other competitors.”

In parallel, specific challenges were addressed, such as export logistics, packaging design, and the incorporation of technologies to preserve quality during transit, as well as new tools related to regenerative agriculture.

The first day of the seminar culminated with a presentation on the progress in the concept of a “fruit fly-free production site”, which opens up new commercial possibilities by allowing access to markets with higher phytosanitary requirements.

This presentation was given by Andrea Bartolucci, an agronomist, entomologist, and member of the Institute of Agricultural Health and Quality of Mendoza (ISCAMEN). She explained that “we have pest-free areas and areas of low prevalence. However, having an area of ​​low prevalence means that farms located there cannot access pest-free areas without specific treatments. Following the new resolution from SENASA (National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service), we have achieved recognition of what are called pest-free sites. These are specific production sites, in this case, cherry farms, because being recognized as pest-free gives us an advantage in terms of the pest’s biology. This recognition allows them to enter pest-free areas in Argentina for commercialization. This designation is very important for us because this national recognition then allows us to obtain international recognition for these same sites, ensuring equal opportunities, especially for cherries. In Mendoza, cherries cannot compete in terms of quantity with Chilean cherries, but they can compete early in the season.”

The day’s events were a great success. Facundo Quirós, manager of the Mendoza Cherry Chamber, stated that “the purpose of the event is to provide producers with tools to become more efficient, offering information, services, supplies, and an investment attraction project we developed in conjunction with the Mendoza provincial government. This project aims to identify the most suitable areas for cultivation, using different business models and, of course, market information. Today, we had a representative from the central market in Buenos Aires, which is where most of the fruit produced in Mendoza arrives. As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, 90% of the fruit produced in Mendoza remains in the domestic market. This representative shared with us the prices paid for early-ripening fruit, specifically from week 44 to week 54. Fruit arriving at this time, with excellent quality, fetches excellent returns. This is the best incentive a producer can have to be encouraged to invest. And the challenge is convincing them that this is the right path.”

With a strong turnout and a diverse agenda, the event – ​​organized by the Mendoza Cherry Chamber in conjunction with the Ministry of Production, through the Directorate of Agriculture, and the Municipality of the City of Mendoza – has once again positioned itself as the leading knowledge transfer forum for the sector in Argentina. The challenge now is to scale up and convince producers to improve efficiency and maintain quality as the key attributes for Mendoza to solidify its position in the world of early cherries.