BayWa Global Produce looks ahead to positive 2024

BayWa Global Produce continues to expand its sourcing and marketing footprint as it positions itself to meet growing global demand for fruit and vegetables. An extensive two-year investment programme to increase sorting, packing, storing, and ripening capacities and improve process efficiency using state-of-the-art technologies has placed the group on a secure footing for future-oriented growth.

Ahead of next week’s Fruit Logistica, CEO Benedikt Mangold commented: “Following a challenging year in 2023, Fruit Logistica is a great moment to look ahead and, together with our subsidiaries, pave the way for a successful year in 2024.

“Although the current political crises and economic environmental factors in various regions of the world continue to influence our business, we look positively into the future as challenges like these will both spur on change and offer new opportunities.”

In apples, the group said an improving market environment with promising consumption figures and a weaker market supply at stable prices provide a positive outlook for the rest of marketing season for its German business, BayWa Obst.

“In times of sharply rising production and wage costs, increased consumption at good price levels is an important development for both our farmers and for us,” Mangold noted.

After the severe weather event a year ago in New Zealand, the group sees good signs of recovery with a promising crop of Scifresh and Scilate apples, branded as Jazz and Envy.

Gareth Edgecombe, CEO of T&G Global, commented: “Our T&G team has done a remarkable job in cleaning-up and re-building our impacted orchards following Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay. As a result of their hard work together with new plantings beginning to bear fruit and great weather over the summer, we look forward to increased export volumes this year – and this will continue to grow year-on-year into the future”.

In the exotics category, TFC Holland increased its efficiency and expanded its ripening capacity with the opening of a new facility in Waddinxveen, enabling it to further expand its customer base. CEO Falk Schlusnus commented: “The implementation of innovative technologies along the shortest possible value chain is just as relevant to our business as direct access to fresh produce and long-standing, reliable partnerships at origin.”

In late 2023, BayWa Global Produce also intensified its long-standing partnership with Spain’s Nufri, setting up a joint venture in Huelva to grow premium new blueberry varieties. Pending approval by the European Commission, the partners will jointly be marketing the first blueberry volumes from their joint farm this spring while testing new varieties from T&G Global’s VentureFruit business.

BayWa Global Produce and its subsidiaries BayWa Obst, TFC Holland, T&G Global, Enzafruit New Zealand (Continent), Worldwide Fruit and VentureFruit said they look forward to welcoming visitors to their innovative new stand at C-55 in Hall 27.

“All CO2 emissions resulting from the trade fair presence will be offset through BayWa Global Produce’s support of high-quality certified climate protection projects. The emissions calculation takes logistics, stand construction, energy requirements, catering and staff travel into account, among other things,” the group said.