New World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) chairman Nicholas Dicey has said that the main objective for his term at the organisation is to get meaningful and accurate statistics from all the apple and pear players across the globe.
This, Dicey noted, would assist in making meaningful marketing decisions.
“With the increase in world apple and pear production, accurate information is required for effective marketing decisions and strategies to be implemented in keeping the market in equilibrium,' Dicey explained.
According to Dicey, not all countries are as well organised as the South African topfruit industry, where information is available at the click of a button.
“Other countries have diverse groupings representing their industry, which makes data gathering difficult,' he said.
Gathering accurate data has never been more important, Dicey continued, highlighting that it must be available for responsible marketing.
Increasing WAPA membership is also important, he noted: “There are a number of topfruit producing countries in the world who are not yet members. However, during the past year Moldova, Slovenia and China have joined. This is good for the global industry.
“We cannot market apples and pears efficiently and compete against other fruit groups if we do not have up to date information and statistics of the apple and pear word. We have seen consumption stagnation in some areas and we need to stay abreast of trends and supply a good quality product.”
According to Dicey, the inner circles of WAPA are also seriously discussing aspects such as sustainable farming, ethical production practices, preservation of biodiversity and the health benefits of apples and pears.
