WESTFIELD – The the first-ever New York State Concord Grape Summit was held in Westfield on Thursday with several local and state officials in attendance.
The summit was held to revitalize and expand the state’s concord grape industry.
Farmers, researchers, and industry leaders met with state officials to discuss industry growth challenges and explore new opportunities for Concord grape growers in New York.
Among those on hand was Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, state senator Cathy Young, and assemblyman Andy Goodell, who said that Chautauqua County concord grape production involves over $20 million in annual sales and is ranked 1st in New York State and 13th highest in the nation.
During the summit, several initiatives were announced to help strengthen the industry, including expanding research, investing in new product and new market development, and expanding marketing and promotional programs to encourage increased growth in this sector.
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