PMA raising awareness in Asia

As part of their global presence, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) will again have a booth at the upcoming Asia Fruit Logistica trade exhibition in September. By reaching out to the Asian market, PMA works to gain additional member in Asia and provide current members around the globe with guidance about the Asian Market.

Asia Fruit Logistica will take place in Hong Kong next month, and Nancy Tucker, vice president of Global Business Development for PMA, said it's an excellent event to connect their organization with the rest of the world.

Erin Hart, Michael Worthington and Nancy Tucker

“This is the fourth year we'll have a booth at Asia Fruit Logistica,” said Tucker, “and we think it's a great way for PMA to raise awareness in the region.” In addition to looking for new members and people interested in participating at PMA's Fresh Summit, events like Asia Fruit Logistica provide the conditions necessary for the networks PMA works to foster.

“We represent the entire supply chain, so it is easy for us to create new links,” said Tucker. “This is a relationship business, so events like this provide opportunities to deepen relationships and make new ones.” The event also provides PMA another avenue to engage further with regions outside of North America. Although PMA is based in North America, the association has members in 40+ countries, a quarter of their membership is from outside of the U.S., and they hold many events worldwide. For example, PMA's Global Development Committee met with industry leaders in Shanghai in March of this year and held a seminar for local Chinese industry leaders.

“We live in an age of information overload,” said Tucker. “So PMA works to boil down the mountains of information so they are useful, manageable and accessible for our members.” But she added that the relationship works both ways. PMA compiles and disseminates information from around the world, and they share PMA generated research with global members. For example, with food safety and traceability being such big issues in Asia right now, Tucker noted that PMA's vast experience in those two areas can benefit the Asian marketplace.

“The next step will be to identify what information PMA has about food safety and traceability that will be of most value for the Asian market,” said Tucker. “That collaborative effort, going back and forth with Asian companies, is an important area for us.”

For more information, please visit: www.pma.com