International Plantain Congress 2026 invites the region to save the date for its second edition at CATIE

• The event will bring together specialists, producers, academia, and the private sector to strengthen the Latin American Plantain Network (RedLAP) and define new actions for the sustainable development of plantain in Latin America and the Caribbean.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) officially announces the Save the Date for the RedLAP International Plantain Congress 2026, which will take place from October 6 to 8, 2026, on CATIE’s campus in Turrialba, Costa Rica. The event will convene key actors from the plantain sector across Latin America and the Caribbean to exchange knowledge, technologies, and innovation opportunities.

This second edition of the congress, organized by the newly established RedLaP Secretariat located at CATIE’s headquarters, will address essential topics for plantain competitiveness and sustainability, including:
• genetic improvement,
• advances in agroindustry,
• gastronomy and culinary innovation,
• pest and disease management,
• plantain marketing and markets.

The event will also serve as a strategic platform to strengthen regional coordination. During the congress, RedLaP will hold its General Assembly, in which a new Board of Directors will be elected to guide and consolidate the network’s work throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

In an effort to support the training of new generations, the organizers announced that proceeds from the congress will fund a scholarship at CATIE’s Graduate School for the son or daughter of a plantain sector worker from the region.

CATIE invites producers, companies, public institutions, research centers, universities, and organizations linked to the sector to reserve their place at this regional event, which promises to be a key meeting point for the sustainable development of plantain.

Save the Date:
October 6–8, 2026
CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica

RedLaP International Plantain Congress: Chemical Load Reduction, Agroindustry, and Marketing