Organic Pineapple Working Group

[Organic Pineapple Working Group <opwg AT lists.ibiblio.org>]

Dear Madam / Sir from our World Pineapple Family,

It is a great pleasure to invite you for the VI INTERNATIONAL PINEAPPLE SYMPOSIUM, to be held at João Pessoa, Paraiba State, Brazil, from November 18 to 23, 2007, under the auspices of the Pineapple WorkingGroup, Section of Tropical Fruits, International Society ofHorticultural Sciences (ISHS).

Brazil – Here the pineapple was born!

And here you will meet its great genetic variability and one the of the best fruits for fresh consumption, the traditional ‘Pérola’ pineapple. From breeding to post-harvest and the multiple uses of this incredible and very especial plant – the "king of fruits", with its typical crown, will be addressed and discussed. Come and share with us also the beautiful scenarios and cultural aspects of this nice city and its very hospitable people.

Please, see below a brief information on the city and State of the VI IPS. More information you will find at the official VI IPS homepage www.ipsbrasil2007.com.br.

The call for papers should be inserted into that site until February 2007.

We’re looking forward to meet you at João Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil, in November 2007!

With kind regards,

Domingo Haroldo Reinhardt

Embrapa Cassava & Tropical Fruits

Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil

dharoldo AT cnpmf.embrapa.br

www.cnpmf.embrapa.br

Convener

 

The VI International Pineapple Symposium (IPS)

Joaão Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil

November 18 – 23, 2007

As decided during the V International Pineapple Symposium at Port Alfred, SA, Brazil will be the venue for the VI IPS to be held at João Pessoa city, capital of the state of Paraiba, located at the Northeast coast of the country.

João Pessoa is a nice city of about 600.000 people, with several rather characteristic denominations, such as “city where the sun shines first” (it is the uttermost point to the East of America), “the city with the most beautiful beaches” (in the municipality of João Pessoa there are about 25 km of very nice Atlantic Ocean beaches with colorful, clean and warm waters during all seasons, being the beaches of Tambaú, Manaíra, Cabo Branco, Sol, Penha and Seixas the most visited), the “third oldest city in Brazil” (the Portuguese João Tavares built the Fortress of São Felipe in 1585, the site of birth for the development of the city) and finally also “one of the greenest cities in the world” (there are many trees along the roads and a very large protected tropical forest in the city area). In addition, there are very nice people and good food, both fish food and great meat dishes (cattle, sheep). And what is most important for all pineapple fans, most of the Paraiba State pineapple fields can be found within a half circle of just about 20 to 80 km around the capital João Pessoa.

Paraiba is the largest pineapple producer in Brazil. In 2005, more than 320 million fruits were harvested along the year, even though a major part is produced during the second semester, with higher volumes from September to December. Most of the production comes from small farmers and hence a very large number of people is involved in this pineapple production chain. The fruits are from the typical Brazilian ‘Pérola’ variety, certainly an exceptional cultivar for fresh consumption. And the tropical subhumid climate (average temperature of about 25.5 ºC, yearly rainfall of about 1200 mm to 1400 mm, more than 2200 hours per year of bright sunshine and a relative air humidity close to 80% on average) seems to be a great mixture of environmental conditions, resulting in pineapple fruits that are preferred by most of the Brazilians.