Italian and international were experts comparing notes on Friday 29 November, from 9.30 am, at the FuturPera World Pear Forum convention which will be focusing on a crucial subject for the sector: “Commercial prospects and new market opportunities”. A choice dictated by the supply chain’s need to find new ways of promoting the product, despite the difficulties of this year and the low volumes, as Stefano Calderoni, Chairman of FuturPera explained.
“This year the World Pear Forum will look at crucial technical and agricultural issues, such as the battle against brown spotting and the brown marmorated stink bug. Because eradicating these pests is fundamental for us to continue producing our top quality pears and guaranteeing good product quality for the market. But the new defence strategies – continued Calderoni – must go hand in hand with marketing strategies and finding new market outlets. Even if there is a shortage of the product this year and it will be complicated to solve the problem of the brown marmorated stink bug, we mustn’t stop working on opening up the routes for our pears to travel around the world. Because I am certain that we will start producing top quality pears again and reach the critical mass to satisfy Italian and foreign demand”.
At the opening, the convention program includes a presentation by CSO Italy, co-organizer of the World Pear Forum, dedicated to “The 2019/2020 commercial campaign: the prospects for the season”. This will be followed by a round table from the point of view of the representatives of European production on the coming marketing campaign: Luca Granata, general manager of Opera (Italy); Marc Evrard, Belgian Fruit Valley (Belgium); Wim Rodenburg, GroentenFruit Huis (Holland); Vincent Guerin, ANPP (France) and Joan Serentill Rubio, Fepex/Afrucat (Spain).
After the round table there will be two presentations on the consumption of pears and their properties in terms of health with “Italian pears: how are they perceived by consumers?” by UNITO and CSO Italy and “In the pear 24/7 free-radicals scavengers” with the researcher from the University of Ferrara, Maria Gabriella Marchetti.
From 11.00 the attention will move on to potential markets, in particular China, with a presentation by CSO on “The challenges and opportunities of third markets with updates on China” and the report by Enrico Berti, from the Italian embassy in Beijing, who will summarize his direct experience of the Italy-China negotiations.
The Friday World Pear Forum event will finish with another round table, a direct discussion between supply chain operators, with: Marco Salvi, Chairman of Fruit Imprese; Piergiorgio Lenzarini, Chairman of the Emila Romagna IGP Pear Consortium; Ilenio Bastoni, General Manager of Apofruit and Luigi Mazzoni, Managing Director of Vivai Mazzoni. Rossella Gigli, Editor-in-chief of Freshplaza.it will moderate the forum.
“We have sent to the forum – concluded the Chairman of FuturPera – all the most significant players in the supply chain and at FuturPera we will meet representatives of the European and Italian large-scale distribution chains as the price issue has now become crucial. Pear growers have had significant losses on the product and must attempt to restore productivity which they can only do if the supply chain attributes value to pears on the market. Therefore we will make a appeal to those who purchase and distribute fruit: to choose and promote Italian pear growing. This is how our supply chain, which has essential socio-economic value for the local area, can continue to produce and tackle future challenges”.
FuturPera is organized by Ferrara Fiere e Congressi and OI Pera (Interprofessional Pear Organization) in association with CSO Italy, F.lli Navarra Foundation, Ferrara, the contribution and support of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forest Policies of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Municipality of Ferrara and Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara and the support of Bper Banca, Generali Italia, VH Italia Assicurazioni.
For more information: www.futurpera.com