PMA Fresh Connections China, Shanghai, March 15-17
Innovation and change in China's produce industry
The Fresh Connections conference highlights current trends and opportunities, and will take place on Thursday, March the 16th.
Mabel Zhuang, the Market Development Representative for the Produce Marketing Association in China, will start the day with an outline of the state of the Chinese marketplace, with a special focus on trends in imported produce.
Important shifts in the retail, as well as online versus in-store marketing, will be addressed by He Chun Lei, CEO of Tmall Fresh, and George Liu, CEO of produce trading house Kingo Fruit. Their discussion will elaborate on the boom of online fruit and vegetable sales. There are a number of opportunities in China for fresh produce exporters, driven by a Chinese audience that is willing to spend more on branded, safe produce and that demands quality and reliability. Demand for transparency and food safety is also growing. A lecture by Dr. Elliot Grant will reflect on traceability for products sourced globally and domestically.
Innovation
Cobby Lin, Director of International Business at Yumsun, will lead a panel discussion on varietal and other innovations in the industry in China. The panel will include Jose Antonio Gomez Bazan, CEO of Camposol; Mimi Dorsey, VP Marketing at Giumarra Vineyard; and David Smith, Business Development Director of SVA Fruits.
Cobby Lin, in anticipation of next week’s events, comments: “The popularity of a variety can boost a product’s position in the market. It can generate excitement among consumers, and a willingness to try new products. We support our growers and suppliers when they introduce new varieties or want to push existing varieties in China. We run trials at Chinese retailers, as well as launching events and campaigns. A variety that has done particularly well is the ‘Dinosaur egg’ pluot (a plum and apricot hybrid) from California. Chinese consumers appreciate the sweetness of the fruit, as well as its bright colours. Sweetness and appearance are generally important characteristics of fruits that want to succeed on the Chinese market.”
Vladimír Kočerha, Economic and Commercial Counselor of Peru in Shanghai
Changes in the political landscape
The afternoon session ‘Changing Governments, Changing Trade: What it Could Mean for You’, reviews the changing nature of international relations and their effects on the fresh produce trade. Increasing protectionism versus evolving FTA’s will be debated, with a special focus on the role of China in relation to Australia, Chile and Peru.
Mingqi Xu, Professor at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, will be one of the speakers. He is convinced that China will keep promoting multilateral and bilateral trade agreements, albeit step by step. In China, trade in agricultural products and services are particularly limited by protective measures. This status quo is pressured by steadily rising incomes, increased demand for quality food, as well as a lack of arable land resources. As such, fresh produce imports are likely to keep on increasing. Vladimír Kočerha, Economic and Commercial Counselor of Peru in Shanghai, and Bob Theleen, Founder and CEO of China Vest (China) will also be on the panel.
For a detailed program outline of the Fresh Connections conference, click here
In addition, optional business roundtable discussions on March 15 will link Chinese buyers with global suppliers through a series of 10-minute, face-to-face discussions. Buyers confirmed to date include: China Resources Vanguard Co. Ltd; Fruitday Co. Ltd.; Mr. Fresh (Alibaba Group); Tmall Fresh (Alibaba Group); Pagoda and Yonghui Superstores
To register for the roundtable discussions on Wednesday, 15 March, click here
The event concludes March 17 with an optional tour of local wholesale markets and retail stores.
For more information and to register, contact:
Richard Owen, Vice President, Global Business Development
Produce Marketing Association (PMA)
rowen@pma.com
www.pma.com