Members of the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) have agreed to enhance information sharing in an attempt to end the international apple crisis.
Representatives from leading apple and pear producing and exporting countries met in Santiago at the beginning of the month to exchange views on the development of the 2005 season and look at prospects for 2006.
WAPA members fully acknowledged the global crisis, with particular emphasis placed on the EU market. The meeting agreed to try to find solutions to reverse the slide. After the meeting Tom Lyall, at the WAPA secretariat in Brussels, said: “WAPA commits itself to improving the quality of the information flow within the industry, to allow exporters to better plan the campaigns. European and southern hemisphere apple and pear producing countries will improve the quality of their production forecasts, as well as for Europeans better information relating to the available stocks, to ensure a smoother transition between the northern and southern hemisphere campaigns. Southern hemisphere apple and pear producing countries will transmit and share within WAPA more accurate export data, in particular regarding exports to the EU markets.”
WAPA members have also agreed to better sharing information on promotional activities and improving the use of messages relating to the health benefits of apples and pears, as a means of increasing consumption. The association will focus on this topic at its next meeting, to take place in February in Berlin, within the framework of Fruit Logistica.
The Santiago meeting also covered marketing standards, and WAPA members will continue to co-operate and exchange experience regarding maturity criteria and other quality aspects. Members are calling upon the European Commission to maintain its current sizing requirements, which broadly match the expectation of the EU market and its consumers. WAPA believes that sizing criteria should not be used to regulate market volumes and recognize that the existing EU provisions do not constitute a barrier to trade.
WAPA membership includes the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and the US (pears).
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