The open seminar “Agricultural sector prospects in Messinia, 2015,” which was organized by the “Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos” Foundation,took place on Friday, November 6 at the conference center of the “Elite” hotel in Kalamata, and was concluded with great success and a great turnout. The seminar was eagerly attended by over 170 producers and professionals of the Messinian rural economy.

As part of its endeavors aimed towards establishing Messinia as a prime example of sustainable agricultural development, the “Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos” Foundation presented the results of its various collaborations, and provided the opportunity to the producers and professionals of the Messinian rural economy to exchage useful knowledge and information regarding the developments and new prospects in the agricultural sector.

More specifically, the seminar presented the results of the clinical research carried out on American citizens regarding the beneficial properties of Messinian olive oil on cardiovascular health, as it is rich in oleocanthal and oleacein. This researchfocused on the effect of rich in oleocanthalolive oil on platelet agglomeration in healthy adults. It was carried out between January and September 2015, in collaboration with the University of Athens, at UC Davis’ Department of Nutrition, and the Human Nutrition Research Center of the USDA.

Part of the seminar was Mr. Dimitris Bilalis’ presentation of the advantages of Messinian local varieties, as well as their promotion potential. Mr. Sotiris Koutsomitros, of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, laid down the guidelines for the new Common Agricultural Policy, and Mr. Ioannis Kyriakopoulos, together with Mr. Antonis Paraskevopoulos, analyzed the expansion of “P.D.O. Kalamata.”

The seminar concluded with the presentation of the Virtual Museum of the Messinian Diet by Mr. Xenophon Kappas and Ms. Maria Mavrogeni, as well as Mr. Vassilis Dimopoulos and Ms. Ioanna Milioni’s presentation of the results of the collaboration between the “Captain Vassilis” Foundation and the Technological Educational Institute (T.E.I.) of Peloponnese’sOlive Oil Tasting Workshop.

The discussions at the seminar were coordinated by Mr. Dimitrios Velissariou, President of the Technological Educational Institute (T.E.I.) of Peloponnese.

The “Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos” Foundation would like to thank all participants, as well as the speakers, for their contribution to both the seminar’s success and the vision to establish Messinia as a prime example of sustainable agricultural development.