Producers across the world looking to supply the European fresh fruit and vegetable market have been urged to work more closely in order to avoid problems associated with overproduction, poor quality and a lack of suitable varieties, as well as to cope with the huge challenges presented by periods of recession like that brought on by the global economic crisis.
At the inaugural European Fruit Summit, held in Cesena, Italy this week as a curtain-raiser ahead of the annual Macfrut trade fair, several of the European fresh produce sector’s leading figures spoke about the need for much closer ties between producers as a means to overcome challenges in the near future.
“A period of difficulty such as this calls for increased organisation in the sphere of production,” concluded Paolo Bruni, president of Italian cooperatives federation Fedagri and also marketing and research organisation CSO, which organised the event in conjunction with the Regione Emilia Romagna and Cesena Fiera. “This is an absolute, tangible truth. In the good times, clearly, everyone is able to operate alone and get his products to market, but when we’re going through tough times as we are not only in Italy but also in Europe, greater organisation becomes indispensable.”
Francisco Sánchez, director of Spanish berry association Onubafruit, said more needed to be done to streamline the production chain. “If we are to face up to the crisis, then we have to unite and work hard together. Producers must manage their resources better in order to cope.”
Gianni Amidei, general manager of Italy’s largest producer cooperative, Agrintesa, conceded that much remained to be done to meet the expectations of the European market. “Giving consumers exactly what they demand is the biggest challenge,” he said. “As well as traceability, certification and so on, we have to retain our focus on quality.”
Meanwhile, Italy’s largest apple producer, VOG, has been presented with the Grappolo d’Oro, awarded every year by CSO, Fruit Imprese and Corriere Ortofrutticolo to the country’s best-performing exporter.
Accepting the award, consortium president Georg Kössler and managing director Gerhard Dichgans said they were “honoured” that their achievements in developing their exports worldwide had been recognised.
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