Numerous Spanish and international grape industry leaders were awarded last week at the Grape Party held as part of Fruit Attraction in Madrid.
Organized by the Association of Producers-Exporters of Fruit, Table Grapes and Other Agricultural Products (Apoexpa), the awards ceremony was held on the second night of the international trade fair to distinguish people who support the growth and internationalization of the Murcian table grape sector.
This year the award winners were Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who was represented by the general director José Miguel Herrero; Lucio Blázquez, restaurateur from Madrid; Rami Aboukhair, senior executive of Banco Santander; Eduardo Baamonde, president of Cajamar; Álvaro Muñoz Beraza, president of AM Fresh, and Óscar Salgado, Chilean table grape consultant. The event, which was attended by 200 guests, was chaired by Fernando López Miras.
Together with the businesswoman Esther Gómez, Apoexpa president Joaquín Gómez emphasized that the Region of Murcia is the leading European producer of seedless grapes and one of the most innovative in the world.
The event was attended by representatives of the business world, as well as the Popular Party, PSOE and Vox.
Introducing Óscar Salgado, Gómez said: "He is one of the most important pillars of informative and knowledge that our sector has."
In his acceptance speech, Salago said highlighted that cooperation is a key element of competition.
"Difficult times are coming with many challenges in the world of table grapes. And to face them, we will need to have an association of Spanish grape growers, technicians, and marketers in order to take them to all four corners of the planet," he said.
