The global apple industry is entering a period in which technology, climate pressures and shifting market dynamics are increasingly shaping how—and where—apples are produced. Interpoma Congress 2026 will bring researchers, growers, technology companies and international trade professionals together in Bolzano on 26 and 27 November to examine those changes.
The full programme for the congress is now available. The event will be held at Fiera Bolzano as part of the 14th edition of Interpoma, the international trade fair dedicated exclusively to the apple sector, which runs from 25 to 27 November.
For the first time, the congress will occupy the second and third days of the trade fair, creating two days of technical and strategic discussion around the pressures confronting the global apple supply chain.
The programme will open on 26 November with “New Approaches in Spraying Technology: Efficiency meets sustainability”, examining how precision application technologies can make orchard operations more targeted while reducing product use and off-target losses.
Urban Spitaler of the Laimburg Research Centre will chair the opening session. Presentations will cover the intersection of precision application and European regulation, sensor-driven variable-rate application, UV-C radiation for plant protection, stationary hydraulic application systems and drone-based spraying technologies.
Speakers include Jens Karl Wegener of the Julius Kühn-Institut, Emilio Gil of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Valeria De Rosa of the University of Trento, Daniel Bondesan of the Edmund Mach Foundation and Katrin Ahrens of the Julius Kühn-Institut.
The day will conclude with a round-table discussion examining the current state of application technology and where orchard spraying systems are heading.
Latin America takes centre stage
The second day, 27 November, will shift from orchard technology to the competitive forces shaping the international apple business, under the theme “Regional Chances and Global Challenges: Latin America in Focus.”
The focus reflects the growing importance of understanding production regions not only through their agronomic performance but also through domestic consumption, export potential, logistics, climate exposure and commercial strategy.
Marta Bentancur, an agronomist and independent consultant, will open the session with an overview of global trends in apple production and trade. Leo Rufato will examine the evolution and future of the Brazilian apple industry, while Moisés Lopes de Albuquerque of the Brazilian Apple Producers Association will focus on domestic consumption and marketing in Brazil.
The programme will also examine Mexican apple production and commercialisation through Nestor Baeza of Agropecuaria La Norteñita, while Mauricio Frias will address competitiveness and the challenges confronting Chilean apple production.
Charif Christian Carvajal of Frutas de Chile will close the technical programme with a focus on the positioning of Chilean apples in global markets. A final round table will bring the speakers together to discuss the region’s wider opportunities and constraints.
The Latin America focus is a new element for Interpoma Congress, extending its international perspective beyond individual country or market discussions to examine the region as a diverse collection of production systems and consumer markets.
“With Interpoma Congress, we always try to look at what is happening in the apple sector even outside European borders,” said Walter Guerra, congress coordinator and deputy director of the Laimburg Research Centre.
Guerra said previous editions had addressed international dynamics, but the congress had not previously examined Latin America comprehensively. The region, he noted, offers a useful lens through which to assess the interaction between climate challenges, competitiveness, agronomic innovation and commercial dynamics.
The congress will therefore connect two increasingly important dimensions of the apple business: the technologies changing orchard operations and the international markets reshaping the economics of production and trade. Early Bird tickets are available until 31 August.
