FuturPera bets on the internationalisation of the product
Increasing awareness and the presence of the pear on the foreign markets to promote its consumption and achieve good prices for producers are the main aims of OI Pera – Organismo Interprofessionale Pera (IO, Interprofessional pear Organization) pursued through a series of initiatives such as FuturPera, the trade fair which, for its second edition – at Ferrara Fiere from 16 to 18 November 2017 – will be betting on the internationalisation of the product on the “rich” markets, ready to welcome good quality Italian pears.
Based on the data collected and processed by CSO Italy – Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (Fruit and vegetable service centre) in Ferrara, the 2016-17 pear marketing campaign was marked by good sales figures (24% less unsold stock in the warehouses of Emilia-Romagna) for all the varieties: firstly Abate Fétel, but Kaiser, Conference and Decana also recorded good sales. Europe, with Germany in the lead, remains the main reference location for exports, a market that also absorbs products coming from the southern hemisphere. In these growing areas, the 2017 figures are 2% lower than last year, with Argentina suffering the greatest drop in production: from 3 to 13% lower (WAPA – World Apple and Pear Association – data). This is a generally favourable situation for Italian pears, and for a supply chain that must be able to grow exponentially which Gianni Amidei, Chairman of the IO, defines as the “internationalisation of the awareness of pears as a product”.
“The Abate grown in the Po Valley – explains Amidei – is a pear that is still not very well known around the world, where the variety in greatest demand is still the William. For IO, one of the organisers of FuturPera, together with Ferrara Fiere, it is fundamental to make our varieties reach open, rich markets, able to appreciate them, particularly in years of abundant production, when the need to export becomes pressing. To do so means internationalising the awareness of the product, through the strategic tools that we have put in place over recent years: participation in international trade fairs, organisation of events and conventions, panel tests and general product promotion actions. In fact, IO does not have the task of selling the product, but of supporting operators in their promotion operations. In 2015 we were pleased to see the birth of two groups, Opera and Origine Group, who took action, albeit in different ways, to give added value to the product. The good trend of the market prices over the last two years is 99% attributable to them. In 2017 we are focusing on FuturPera – continued Amidei – precisely to promote and spread awareness of the range of Italian pears abroad. The fair will be a true crossroads for a supply chain that focuses on internationalisation and we believe it will be able to attract, not only exhibiting companies of international status, but also buyers from the main supermarket chains”.
The second edition of FuturPera is designed and organised by Ferrara Fiere e Congressi and OI Pera.
