The European pear market is dominated by the Abate (Italy), Rocha (Portugal) and Conference (Netherlands/Belgium) varieties. "European pear producer countries have their own varieties of reference, which are grown both in Europe and all over the world. To promote consumption, each country is creating promotional campaigns to conquer new market shares," explains Albano Bermani, vice-president of Oi Pera.
"However, so far I haven't seen new products capable of undermining the leading varieties, although some recent pears have good potential, such as Falstaff. However, these varieties are either still in the experimental phase or their penetration level is still low. Anyway we are expecting nurseries that are planning on taking part in FuturPera to present their research and new products so as to widen the range."
"Our aim is for our Abate pears to be known all over the world and to undermine the Conference leadership in countries like India and China. It is a rather ambitious objective, but we can do it as Abate pears have the right characteristics to become one of the main varieties on the international market."
Carmen pears.
As regards the future of red pears, the vice-president reports that "over the past few years, demand has increased. In 2015, during Interpera, we discussed the interest shown by consumers, so much so that varietal research has started focusing on colour. As mentioned earlier, so far, the only pear that seems interesting due to its organoleptic qualities is Falstaff, but it is still a niche production."
For what concerns other varieties such as Max Red Bartlett (in the photo) and Carmen, production in 2016 was rather positive. The former, in Emilia-Romagna, saw a 6% increase compared to 2015 and a 4% increase compared to the 2011-2014 average. The latter, which however is not completely red, saw a 10% increase compared to 2015 and a 63% increase compared to the 2011-2014 average, also because it is quite a recent variety (CSO-Italy data).
"Of course these two varieties have a long way to go before becoming a reference for the sector, but they are part of the excellent range of pears available alongside Abate."
FuturPera will be a space where varieties from all over the world will be compared. Exchanging production experiences between the different countries is essential. Of course Abate and the pears from Pianura Padana will be the protagonists of the section dedicated to production, but visitors will be able to get in touch with exhibitors from different countries and producer regions.
Stefano Calderoni, President of FuturPera, and Albano Bergami, vice-president of Oi Pera.
Ample space will be dedicated to production, because the primary sector is what drives pear production. Without it, there wouldn't be a high-quality sustainable pear chain. "Futurpera is dedicated to the entire chain. This means we cannot think about a technical and commercial event without providing a complete overview of the other sectors: nursery, post-harvesting, storage, processing, commercialisation, distribution and consumption. Each of these sectors will bring innovations and ideas for a product that is evolving quickly and must adapt to new market challenges," stresses Stefano Calderoni, president of FuturPera.
"Our exhibitor numbers are increasing day after day and we believe we will soon have a catalogue representative of the whole chain offering solutions both on a domestic and international level. FuturPera 2017 will be the internationalisation edition: we are working to involve buyers and companies from countries where we usually export, such as Germany. But we also want to do more, because Germany and northern Europe already know the quality of the Italian produce. We want to reach India, Brazil, Mexico and, of course, China."
We asked the president what will change compared to the edition of two years ago. "The International Pear Salon evolves hand in hand with the sector. Compared to two years ago, the market evolved and we will evolve with it also thanks to the experience we gained during the first edition, in which 100 exhibitors took part and which was attended by 8,000 visitors. It was a real success for a single-product fair, but we want to do better."
For this reason, an agreement was signed with the main Ferrara associations representing commercial and restaurant businesses. The side events will focus on food and food education in cooperation with regional producers. "This is because product promotion, of Abate in particular, must start from the production territory, which must become known all over the world."
We asked the president what will change compared to the edition of two years ago. "The International Pear Salon evolves hand in hand with the sector. Compared to two years ago, the market evolved and we will evolve with it also thanks to the experience we gained during the first edition, in which 100 exhibitors took part and which was attended by 8,000 visitors. It was a real success for a single-product fair, but we want to do better."
For this reason, an agreement was signed with the main Ferrara associations representing commercial and restaurant businesses. The side events will focus on food and food education in cooperation with regional producers. "This is because product promotion, of Abate in particular, must start from the production territory, which must become known all over the world."