Not surprisingly, the Europatat Congress 2020 scheduled for June 11-12 in Brussels, has been cancelled following escalation of Covid-19 health crisis in Europe and the world.
Over the last few weeks the deadly coronavirus outbreak has caused widespread disruption to social life and businesses and around the globe, including companies involved in the trade of agricultural products. Following the emergency measures taken by EU member states, the agrifood sector is reporting increasing difficulties in daily operations. As the potato producers and added-value manufacturers face new challenges unleashed by the pandemic, there will be many problems to overcome during the coming months and across the rest of the year.
Raquel Izquierdo de Santiago, managing director of Brussels-headquartered Europatat, commented: “The situation is changing rapidly around Europe, and unfortunately not with the best prospects for our event. We had worked in earnest and with much enthusiasm on this year’s theme around digitalization, but unfortunately, the circumstances confronting us are out of everyone’s control.”
The next Europatat Congress is slated to take place May 30-31 in Dublin, Ireland, within the framework of the World Potato Congress (WPC) 2021, which will be held there from May 31 to June 3. It is expected to attract 1,000 participants from around the world, including growers, researchers, producers, traders, processors and manufacturers. Both the Europatat Congress and the WPC will become a week-long event focusing on the potato, the third most important food crop in terms of global consumption.
Further details about the Europatat Congress 2021, annually organized by the European Potato Trade Association, will be posted at www.europatacongress.eu in the coming months.
