Relative stability in terms of pricing on the European apple market over the past few weeks are contributing to an improvement in consumption of the fruit, according to Fiera Bolzano, organiser of Interpoma, the biennial trade fair and congress event dedicated to the world of apple and pear production.
'Apple growing statistics are back on the rise, following last season's drop,' the group said in a statement to highlight the official launch of a campaign to promote next year's meeting, which takes place on 15-17 November 2012.
Forecasts presented by the recent Prognosfruit meeting in Slovenia suggested Europe would produce a total volume of roughly 10.2m tonnes of apples in 2011/12, with improved quality also expected.
'An encouraging prospect, in other words, especially considering that consumption trends are being favoured by current price stability,' said a spokesperson for Fiera Bolzano.
Interpoma's home, Bolzano, is located in the heart of Europe's foremost apple producing region, South Tyrol, where the industry expects to see a total apple crop of more than 1.1m tonnes this season from its 18,000ha of production.
The event's eighth edition will again focus attention on apple growing, storage and marketing, offering three days of potential meetings, networking and conference discussions.
'For three days the pavilions of Fiera Bolzano will stage what remains a uniquely specialised event devoted exclusively to the apple sector, and which offers professional sector operators an unrivalled opportunity to monitor production and market trends and to update themselves on the latest novelties connected with this star player of the fresh produce market,' Fiera Bolzano commented.
With hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors expected, the event is also determined to offer plenty of business opportunities for those taking part.
The last time it convened in 2010, Interpoma attracted 354 companies from 18 different countries, along with over 14,200 visitors from 58 different countries, an increase of 22 per cent compared with the attendance in 2008.
The 2012 edition will again include its international apple congress, organised by the internationally renowned expert Kurt Werth in collaboration with the major South Tyrolean apple growing organisations.
The three-day forum will concentrate on the most pressing issues currently affecting the European and global apple sector.
'At this moment a whole range of meetings, round-table discussions and scientific and technical forums are being organised: the kind of high profile events that for more than 15 years have made Interpoma a benchmark event in the international apple sector,' the spokesperson added.
