An event with an ever more interesting programme awaits the pear sector in 2019, with the third edition of FuturPera – International Pear Salon, the only exhibition in Europe that is dedicated to the whole production cycle of the pear.
This is what emerges from the press conference that was held on 6th February at the ITALY stand – which is managed by CSO Italy – with figures that highlight the constant and significant growth of the event, which testifies to a wide-scale interest in the sector.
The second edition already recorded a 30% growth in terms of attendance and companies that took part, compared to the first edition, with over 10.000 visitors and around 120 qualified and specialised exhibitors in all the departments of the pear production cycle, not only from Italy, but from other European countries as well, especially Holland and Germany.
The third edition of Futurpera, which will be held in Ferrara in the renovated halls of the Exhibition Centre from 28th to 30th November 2019, confirms the importance of the World Pear Forum, an international conference that is organized in conjunction with CSO Italy, which in the last edition recorded the presence of over 3.000 farmers and experts of the sector. The World Pear Forum 2019 will focus on major themes linked to pear growing, ranging from technical and production aspects to financial and marketing ones, and touching on the themes of import, export and internationalization.
There will also be important technical meetings organized by the exhibiting companies which will enrich the programme with a more in-depth look at various matters of great interest.
Futurpera proves to be an important event due to its uniqueness and authority with the presence of the most important players of the sector at a global level. Thanks to its reputation, the 2019 edition will welcome buyers from the biggest national and international large-scale distribution channels from Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain, South Africa and Chile.
The 2019 edition will also devote ample space to consumers, in order to understand their requirements and reach out to them with the right communication tools and promotional campaigns.
The consumption of pears in Italy is on a slight but constant increase (CSO Italy data) after the crash of the early 2000, however new consumers must be gained and the penetration index of the product into Italian and European families must also increase. These are the themes that will be dealt with during Futurpera 2019, trying to reach consumers during the three days of the exhibition with promotional activities that will involve the whole town of Ferrara, which is, to all intents and purposes, the “European capital of the pear”.
“After the extraordinary edition of 2017 – Stefano Calderoni, CEO of FuturPera declares – we have set in motion a large-scale campaign aimed at listening to the needs of all the players in the production cycle.
Our intention has never been to organize an event that is measurable in terms of figures alone, because above all, we want it to be useful to the sector. Which is why we are
aiming to strengthen the idea of FuturPera as a veritable forum on pear growing: innovation, markets and promotions of a top of the range national product will be our guidelines.”
“The exhibition dedicated to pears in Ferrara – Paolo Bruni, CEO of CSO Italy emphasises – is also a great opportunity for the town, which takes on a central role that it is fully entitled to along with Modena, Bologna and Ravenna in the pear growing sector, which we are the leaders of on a world-wide scale”.
Regarding the importance and role of Futurpera, Mauro Grossi, member of the OI Pear Committee, confirms the supporting role of the event on behalf of the whole production cycle, from production to consumption: “Pears – Mauro Grossi declares – are not simple to produce, preserve, package, market, distribute, and finally consume. A time of discussion and exchange of information about techniques and experiences is the basis of any serious revitalization project of the sector”.
The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara Paolo Govoni – underlines that: “In addition to the extraordinary quality of the product to which the exhibition is dedicated, the success of Futurpera is also due to the strong integration of the exhibition with the system of businesses that operate not only in the fruit and vegetable sectors, but also in many other fields including the hotelier sector, and the catering and services sectors.
The Province of Ferrara – the president of the Chamber of Commerce continues – is the cradle of pear growing at a national and European level. Ferrara, in fact, is the first province for the production of pears with over 200.000 tons, over 40% of the production of the Emilia-Romagna Region, i.e. around 30% of all Italian pears”.
“The increasing importance of Futurpera enhances the Emilia-Romagna production system – Simona Caselli, regional councillor for Agriculture, hunting and fishing states –
as it is an important production area with around 70% of Italian pears grown, and over 20% of European ones. Pear growing is a cultivation that communicates an important
message to consumers, thanks to the use of production systems that have a low environmental impact, and the employment of innovative processing and packaging techniques.
These aspects must be taken up by marketing initiatives to support consumption and seek new markets. The effectiveness of marketing depends on the support of the activities of the Organizations of Producers (OP) and their Associations (AOP) and of the Inter-professional Organization (OI) which are the cornerstone of production and marketing management”.
