The Event will be back at Ferrara Fiere from 28 to 30 November with over 150 companies and high profile technical and commercial information for an event that gathers together the entire sector
BOLOGNA, 21 November 2019 - The relaunch of the Italian pear growing sector will start from FuturPera 2019, at Ferrara Fiere from 28 to 30 November. Now in its third edition, the International Pear Show confirms its status as the meeting place for the entire Italian pear growing supply chain, where strategies can be devised for the development of the sector, after a really difficult year. The event was presented today (21 November) in the office of the Emilia-Romagna Region in the presence of Simona Caselli, councillor of Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing of the Emilia-Romagna Region
Andrea Maggi, councillor of Sport, Public Works, Town Planning, Building and Urban Regeneration of the Municipality of Ferrara; Stefano Calderoni, Chairman of the FuturPera company
Gianni Amidei, Chairman of Oi Pera, Filippo Parisini, CEO and Chairman of Ferrara Fiere e Congressi, Albano Bergami, Vice Chairman of Oi Pera.
Stefano Calderoni was the first speaker, talking about the show as an event that has now become global. “This year all 5 continents of the planet are represented, therefore our internationalization aim has been fully achieved. For this edition we have increased the exhibition surface area by about 30%, with over 150 companies present. A vertical event like this one is very useful for the sector, especially at this difficult time, as we will be tackling important issues like the fight against the brown marmorated stink bug and brown spotting. At FuturPera we will try to provide answers, as we need to believe that pear growing will continue in Italy and we don’t want growers to feel alone, also in terms of the presence of the institutions”.
Then, the Chairman of Ferrara Fiere, Filippo Parisini, underlined that: “FuturPera will be held in a trade fair complex that has been completely renovated after the earthquake, also thanks to the support of the Region and the Municipality of Ferrara. As a trade fair centre, we have invested in the Show and are reaping the benefits as we estimate a three-fold increase in revenue with respect to the first edition. We believe in the value of the event as a meeting point between supply and demand, to provide a more stable future for farms and fruit growing in the local area”.
After this, the Chairman of Oi Pera, Gianni Amidei, spoke, underlining the importance of the event in a very difficult year. “There is no need to underline the numerous disasters of this year, but we expect that the FuturPera conventions will lead to new ideas and to a positive future moving forward, because we don’t want to believe that our pear growing is finished, as our production is almost unique in Europe in terms of quality. Obviously we need to pull up our sleeves, but we are all moving and working to relaunch the sector, also thanks to regional and national resources”.
The conventions being held this year, with the second edition of the World Pear Forum, as Albano Bergami explained, are really significant.
“We have managed to bring the most competent and authoritative experts to Ferrara to discuss the main phytosanitary problems affecting pear trees. We will start on Thursday 28th with one of the most important Australian agronomists, with a comparison between the two growing systems, also with the Fll. Navarra Foundation. Still on the 28th, in the afternoon, the focus will move on to the fight against brown spotting, one of the most feared pear tree diseases with speakers from universities, test centres and phytosanitary consortia of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. On Friday 29th, Italian and international experts will discuss new markets and product promotion. Until a few years ago we were the second largest producer in the world, whereas in just a few years we have dropped to fourth place, therefore we have called upon various international players who will discuss the issues at a round table. On Saturday 30th the main theme of the World Pear Forum will be the fight against the brown marmorated stink bug, one of the main sources of problems affecting the sector, because it has an enormous ability to reproduce. It is sufficient to consider that in the centre-north [of Italy] it has caused 350 million Euro of damage, and a reduction in the sector that covers 30 thousand hectares in Italy, 50% of which are in Emilia-Romagna. Only in our region it employs 20,000 operators, the same number that work for Ilva and Alitalia put together, which is why we are asking that the same attention dedicated to them be dedicated to the agricultural sector too.
This was followed by Andrea Maggi, councillor of the Municipality of Ferrara who spoke about the support for the Show: “Our council provided support for the initiative because Ferrara is the Capital of the pear growing sector, considering that 43% of Italian pears are grown in our area. We believe that the entire agricultural system must be relaunched; in fact, the mayor has retained control over the agriculture area. Therefore, the relaunch of the city must pass through business and the entire supply chain, from production to consumption, also thanks to new technologies, research and raising awareness in the food sector.
The conclusions were delivered by Simona Caselli, who stated: “We have always believed in this event, right from the first edition, and are satisfied with its affirmation. FuturPera promotes this important growing sector in Emilia-Romagna, where we find 70% of Italian pears and over 20% of European pears. But this year we have had to deal with issues such as climate change, parasites and new phytosanitary diseases, which have strongly damaged Italian pear growing. We are well aware that the sustainability of many fruit farms and the entire supply chain is at risk. Therefore, we need to work greatly on logistics for exporting our fruit which is very high quality and is grown using sustainable agricultural techniques. This quality is known to buyers, but we have logistics platforms with lower performance compared to other countries like Spain.
“The Region - continued Ms Caselli - is the first in line for solving problems with intermediate interventions and greater support for research and experimentation. In terms of regional resources – continued Ms Caselli – we have more than doubled the resources available for subsidised credit, three million Euro for the granting of loans to help with current management. Then we will be able to release the Samurai wasp in spring and we are working on breeding because we found it in nature, so are ready to fight the stink bug with its antagonist”.
FuturPera will be open from 9 to 18.30. The inauguration will take place on 28 November at 12.00. Entry to the Fair and to the WORLD PEAR FORUM is free but registration is necessary, which may be performed online on the website www.futurpera.com to avoid queues at the entrance, or directly at the fair during the days of the event.
The Show is organized by Futurpera srl, an investee company of Oi Pera and Ferrara Fiere e Congressi which belongs to the Bologna Fiere Group. This is an important combination of one of the most important fair centres in the Region and the Interprofessional Organization that unites the main pear growers. The following worked together on the organization: CSO Italy and the F.ll Navarra Foundation in Ferrara. It is organized with the contribution of the Municipality of Ferrara, the Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara and the Emilia-Romagna Region. Bper Banca, Generali Italia and VH Italia Assicurazioni sponsor the event. The event also gained the prestigious support of the Ministry of agricultural, food and forest policies, which recognised the value and significance of the event within the agricultural sector.