The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) announces that the closing conference of the project "Innovative Bioproducts for Fruit Protection During Storage," funded by AFIR through the National Rural Development Program (PNDR), under Measure 16.1A "Support for the establishment and functioning of operational groups (OG), the development of pilot projects, products, and processes in the agricultural and fruit-growing sector," took place in the auditorium of ASAS.

The event was organized by the Romanian Farmers Association (AFR), in the presence of the President of ASAS, Valeriu Tabără, the state counselor in the Prime Minister's Chancellery, Daniel-Dumitru Botănoiu, the First Vice President of AFR, Ion Cioroianu, the project director, Ionel Arion, the DMSc National Contact Point Cluster 6, Giorgiana Barbu, researchers Alina Butu and Marian Butu.

They were joined by farmers, LAPAR members, researchers from the Research Institute for Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, students from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.

Representing MADR at the conference were Cristina Coman, Director of the National Rural Network, and Viorel Morărescu, Director of the Vegetable Sector Policy Directorate (DPSV) and ambassador of organic agriculture in Romania. In this context, Viorel Morărescu stated:

"I am pleasantly surprised by this very interesting, timely, and future-oriented project because we are talking about an innovative initiative on the one hand, and on the other hand, we refer to a best practices project that could be replicated, an example worth following.

These bioproducts can also be successfully used for fruits obtained in organic farming, which is an advantage for farmers, as they can store the fruits for a longer period, ensuring the market supply with local fruits."

Director Viorel Morărescu also emphasized the close link between research and production in the context of the National Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production.

Discussions focused on topics related to innovation and knowledge transfer, reducing the gap between research and practical application, and innovative bioproducts for fruit protection during storage. Additionally, the results obtained by the operational groups were presented.

The project aimed to operationalize a cooperation network regarding fruit storage by establishing an operational group in the fruit-growing sector and jointly implementing a research-innovation project to obtain bioproducts for fruit protection during storage.

The Romanian Farmers Association (AFR) collaborates with the National Research and Development Institute for Biological Sciences (INCDSB) to evaluate the technology for developing formulas for edible covering based on plant extracts.

Within the project, the application form of the new formula was evaluated, as well as its effectiveness in preserving fruits, focusing especially on its ability to control weight loss during fruit storage and improve their visual quality.

The farmers involved in this endeavor benefited from improved knowledge regarding crop protection during the storage period, access to innovative technologies, and the right to exploit the results obtained.

The project thus represents an integrating initiative that brings benefits to both the academic environment and the agricultural community, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient agriculture. (Photo: MADR)