Contact Group 2026, Italy shines: 250 additional hectares of strawberries

Published Feb 2, 2026

Tridge summary

The 2026 Contact Group between France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, dedicated to strawberries and small fruits, met on January 29 and 30 in Agen, France. A technical and strategic comparison that, according to what emerged, provides an overall positive picture for the European sector, with Italy taking a leading role especially for strawberries. Drawing up the balance of the two days, exclusively for IFN, is Pietro Ciardiello, director of Coop Sole and Coordinator of the Strawberries Group. "The first point addressed was the 2025 summary and it emerged as a year of great quality, both in terms of quality and volumes," Ciardiello recounts. "The trend is positive for all the countries involved. Spain had to deal with some issues related to bad weather, but nothing irreparable. We can define 2025 as a super-positive year." The focus then shifted to the prospects for 2026, which according to Ciardiello open in the sign of continuity: "In 2026 the surface..."

Original content

The 2026 Contact Group between France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, dedicated to strawberries and small fruits, met on January 29 and 30 in Agen, France. A technical and strategic comparison that, according to what emerged, returns an overall positive picture for the European sector, with Italy taking center stage especially for strawberries. Providing an exclusive account of the two days for IFN is Pietro Ciardiello, director of Coop Sole and Coordinator of the Strawberry Group. "The first point addressed was the summary of 2025 and it emerged as a year of great quality, both in terms of quality and volume," Ciardiello recounts. "The direction is positive for all the countries involved. Spain had to deal with some issues related to bad weather, but nothing irreparable. We can define 2025 as a super-positive year." The focus then shifted to the prospects for 2026, which according to Ciardiello open with a sign of continuity: "In 2026 the strawberry cultivation area in Italy will ...

Source: Italiafruit