WELCOME WORDS

I would like to welcome you all to this 4th International Symposium on Processing Tomatoes. We are all very pleased and highly honoured for your presence and I hope that your stay in Mendoza Argentina will be of great pleasure.

More than four years ago, a close friend of ours called Bill Sims, told us about the possibility we had to organize in Argentina this event sponsored by the I.S.H.S. He trusted and offered us all his support, so we would sincerely like to thank Dr. Sims for his wholehearted help.

By then, the idea of organizing this Symposium was just a wish but it was in 1988 that Mendoza, considered as the place in Argentina with the largest cultivated and industrialized area with this crop, was chosen as the place for the Symposium to be held in 1991. Once the Comission was created in 1990 another important person. Dr Carlos M. Partos trusted and supported as within the I.S.H.S. To him all our acknowledgement and gratitude. Think that this is the first time an I.S.H.S. Symposium is taking place in Latin America and may be this is the starting point for several others to be held not only in Argentina but also in our neighboring countries where as opposed to the lack of sophisticated technology and financial resources, a strong courage and deep with of beig protagonist of this piece of history is shown.

Personally, I feel truly honored for my designation as Convener of this event and I am convinced that my colleages and officals that supported me have worked as hard as the could to make of this event a success. Withouth their collaboration this Symposium would not have been a reality. So, first of all, my thanks to all of them but particularly my recognition to the Secretary Lic. Lithana Guazzo, lng. Jorge Roimiser, Ing. Raul Del Monte. Cont. Omar Cuevas. Ing. Angel Bestani. Ing. Carmelo Bartucciotto. Ing. Jorge Davila, and Ing. Humberto Galmarini.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that hope that started more than four years ago is today a reality, so I invite you to share it wih us. The program build up in 40 communications and 13 posters is a very inriching one and it shows how hard it has scientifically been working on this area taking into account that the last Symposium took place in Avignon, France one year and three months ago.

Again, have a wonderfull stay in Argentina and thank you for being with us.

Dr. Cosme A. Argerich
Convener

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