Interpoma, the biannual trade event for the international apple business, takes place this week in Bolzano, Italy. Here, organiser Fiera Bolzano's general manager Thomas Mur considers the present challenges and future opportunities for a fresh produce category that continues to invest in innovation and to diversify in terms of its markets.
Thomas, what do you see as the most important changes in the global market for fresh apples over the past two years?
Thomas Mur: The Russian embargo created the biggest challenges and market shifts in the last two years. On the other hand, decreasing interest among consumers in Europe and North America and the increasing popularity of apples in South-east Asia and Africa is a long-term trend with a lot of implications for the flow of apple production.
What do you see as the major challenges for apple suppliers and marketers right now?
TM: Fierce competition, combined with the growing demand for top-quality products, generates the biggest challenges for suppliers and marketers. One of the bigger challenges on the supply side is to choose the right variety, a choice that was much easier a few years ago. As for marketers, increasing competition and price pressure remain substantial, so the entire value chain has to be optimised on a daily basis.
In which markets do you think the apple category will be able to achieve new growth during the next few years?
TM:Recent market reports suggest the growth will be in Africa, with West Africa being among the regions with the biggest growth. Asia will remain one of the most interesting regions, with China and India as big drivers for these markets.
In terms of product innovation, what developments are attracting the most interest in the category?
TM: The faster but continuous evolution of quality in varieties, especially the work [being done] on red varieties, is attracting a lot of interest. Flesh colour, taste, texture and size offer a lot of other possibilities to cater to different niche preferences and target groups. We will see how marketers translate [these] different possibilities into viable product innovations in the coming years.
As far as Interpoma is concerned, what kind of growth is expected at this year’s show and how do you intend to offer something new in 2016?
TM:Interpoma grew bigger in its last editions and at this year’s 10th edition we have more exhibitors than ever. Our mission is to help the apple sector to grow and gain importance worldwide. One of our main questions is where will the apple sector be in 10-15 years? We try to offer some answers through the Interpoma Innovation Camp, a two-day sort of hackathon where startups, experts and talented individuals work in teams to generate ideas for the next decade – focused on production, logistics and marketing. On the other hand, with the congress ‘The Apple in the World’, we bring relevant content to visitors from over 70 countries worldwide. Interpoma is where the apple world meets and as organisers we are deeply interested in offering exhibitors and visitors a lot of inspiration and new business contacts to help them stay at the forefront of their business.
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