The elevated cost of sustainability within the fresh produce supply chain is worth paying in the long run, according to a leading academic from Milan's Bocconi University.
Speaking during a conference entitled 'Companies, ethics, markets' – held alongside the general assembly of Italian fresh produce trade association Fruit Imprese at the Hotel Exedra in Rome on Thursday, 22 April – Professor Maurizio Dallocchio said investing in transparency and 'correctness' would lead to long-term gains for fresh produce companies.
'Corporate and individual ethics are not enforced by laws, rather they are transmitted, slowly, by example, conviction and authority,' he told delegates. 'In the short-term they generate additional costs, but in the long run it guarantees stability.'
Professor Dallocchio also revealed that Italy remained very much an entrepreneurial nation, with almost a third of Italians working for themselves – three times the European average.
Fruitimprese president Luigi Peviani confirmed that the Italian fresh produce sector's balance of trade had fallen from €1.2bn in 2008 to €555m last year, with exports falling in terms of both volume (-4.6 per cent) and value (-13.5 per cent).
These figures are emblematic of the position in which the sector finds itself,' Mr Peviani commented. 'In such a negative situation, we ought to highlight certain aspects of our businesses' activities that make it worthy of admiration: they offer continued employment, they protect land and the environment, and they provide healthy and traceable products.'
Closing the conference, MEP and former Italian Minister of Agriculture Paolo De Castro, who is currently president of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee, said he would continue to push for the fresh produce sector to be given greater recognition within the European arena.
Due to the problems with air travel caused by the Icelandic volcano, Hein Deprez of the Univeg group of companies was unable to participate as keynote speaker. However, Mr Deprez confirmed he would fulfill the appointment at next year's event.
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