Getting to market first or staying there longer than others can make a real difference for strawberry growers. The world of variety research is responding to these needs, offering proposals that can change the production calendar. Among the key players of this constant work, there is Nova Siri Genetics, which in the last few days has taken stock of the industry at the workshop: ""The strawberry: sustainable varietal innovation as a factor in the development of production and consumption"” (click here to read more) and at the open day of its establishments, where the public was able to visit the laboratory, the growth greenhouse and the experimental fields. Together with Carmela Suriano, Nsg's Emea Director, we identified the growth factors of strawberry cultivation.

"Bringing production forward, has enabled Italian producers to supply the large-scale retail trade as early as the winter months: an early cultivation that has been very well received by distributors," Suriano explained to IFN. "A step that once again highlights the importance of varietal innovation, but also the skills of producers who have been able to innovate and implement innovative cultivation techniques.

The current campaign
Having now reached the halfway point of the strawberry campaign, Suriano's opinion on the strawberry trend in the Mediterranean basin is quite positive: "With regard to those who have used our varieties, we can say that in these months they have been rewarded by the market because the quotations have almost always been sustained. In general, we are satisfied with the economic and production results achieved by growers who use NSG varieties in the Mediterranean basin".

Strawberry cultivation of the future
The industry is undergoing profound changes and the variety offer has to adapt to the needs of production and the market. "Many varieties used by growers no longer have the production performance that allows them to be competitive on the market," specifies NSG's Emea Director -. For this reason, the identification of genotypes that can cope with the increasingly recurring climatic fluctuations is crucial.

Greece and Morocco, two interesting players
Greece and Morocco are two important players for strawberry cultivation in the Mediterranean basin. About Greece, Suriano specifies: “This country is growing in terms of surface areas and NSG varieties are already present, with an expected increase in the presence of our cultivars in the coming years”.
She continues: “Morocco is also coming up with interesting ideas in terms of production planning and level of specialization in the industry”.

The examples of Greece and Morocco lead to a necessary a necessary reflection for our country. "Although we are regaining market share that we had lost, with the return to early varieties, the serious fact is that we are importers of strawberries: this means that we have unexpressed potential, whereas with exports we could have great possibilities,' says Suriano.
She adds: “For years we only focused on quantity, but now it is time to also think about quality and sustainability: this is a process that will occurr in a different way in various countries but it is part of the very structure of strawberry cultivation. Moreover, strawberry growing in the Mediterranean basin must be considered a unique production area to supply the global market for many months of the year”.
She concludes: “The comparison and study of production and market trends are necessary to ensure that research not only meets the current needs of the industry, but also understands and anticipates future scenarios and anticipates solutions. Analysing and interpreting change is crucial to ensure that manufacturers meet the challenges in the market. As NSG, we intend to continue on the path we have started for new varieties and to intensify it. In the meantime, the signals coming from the markets are very encouraging, strawberry cultivation areas are on a steady upward trend.