Associations of Producer Organisations (APOs) belonging to Areflh, the assembly of European fruit and vegetable-producing regions, met for a seminar in Brussels on 5-6 December to debate the main challenges facing the sector.
Invited by Jean Louis Moulon, president of Areflh’s producers college, more than 20 representatives of APOs attended to discuss: the need to strengthen producer organisations to counterbalance the supremacy of organised retail; the issue of falling fresh produce consumption in Europe and the need to develop strong promotional and communication campaigns; and the need to compete with third countries and technical and technological innovation.
The APOs reaffirmed their commitment to the Common Organisation of the Fruit and Vegetable Market (CMO), recognising its role in technical advancement, environmental preservation, quality improvement, food safety and commercial concentration.
“At the same time, this tool must be retained and revitalised by strengthening Producer Organisations, which have a significant economic impact and which integrate all the functions of production marketing,” Areflh stated in a press release. “It is equally important to allow, in particular, transnational organisations to develop. The CMO must be both more flexible and more secure.”
In response to a drop in fruit and vegetable consumption of 18 per cent over the past 8 years, Areflh calls on strong, permanent promotional campaigns supported by the EU.
“The fruit education programme at school is an excellent example,” the assembly stated. “It is no longer necessary to demonstrate the beneficial effect of fruits and vegetables consumption on health and on the fight against obesity. But the sector must also adapt to new consumers’ expectations on the European market and on international markets. Producers have great expectations from research and innovation to provide them with more environmentally friendly production techniques, storage methods that allow optimal quality maintenance, new packaging and more.”
Simona Caselli, president of Areflh, stressed the crucial role of fruit and vegetables in many rural areas in terms of economic activity and employment. 'We must support everything that can make the consumption of fruits and vegetables easier,” she said. “Promotion campaigns must be developed in the internal market. In this respect, the regions are often inventive. Areflh must be a platform for the exchange of experiences and projects.”
