Brazilian producers need to be prepared to follow emerging trends in international markets if they are to move forward, Arnaldo Eijsink, agrobusiness director of Carrefour Comercio e Indústria Ltda, told delegates at a seminar in Petrolina, São Francisco Valley.

'There are many challenges out there for us, but they are also opportunities,' he said. 'In many ways it is easier for us to adapt because we are newer and smaller than many of our competitors in the global marketplace.

'If you want to supply retailers in Europe or the UK, you must provide absolute guarantees of the safety of the product, plus show social responsibility and protect the environment. We [Carrefour] are able to export grapes for nearly 10 months of the year not just because the grapes are good, but because we are able to show the social benefit of our products.

'In this, I believe we have a distinct advantage over Chile and South Africa. Now we have to charm the buyers and personal contact and relationships are so important. We have the product, now we must ensure that the bride [whole package] is more beautiful to ensure that there is a wedding.' Aristeu Chaves, director of Fruit Fort, another of the region's leading lights, stressed the need for individual and collective cohesion: 'Each and every one of us has responsibility for the safety of food in the Valley. The buyers overseas do not see every company, which makes the responsibility of the smaller grower huge. Failure by any grower to adopt rigorous standards touches each one of us,' he said.

Chaves called for collaboration between suppliers in different regions, and countries. 'There are a reduced number of buyers around the world and we should talk with suppliers from other countries in order that we can build relationships that can sustain all of our competitiveness,' he said. 'There should be more associations and alliances - by themselves many growers will not make it. We need scale, volume and quality and the basis of success will be our abilities to work as united groups.

'Our margins have decreased, there have been changes in distribution and in a capitalist world it is the organised that have the advantage.' He added: 'It is not easy to convince any grower that he needs to be organised beyond the farm gate. But we must all understand that we should be producing the product in the market wants it, not how we want to grow it.'

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