Soft fruit continues to register good growth figures worldwide. In fact, the upward trend of blueberries, both in terms of demand and production, is still strong. The combination of health and convenience, in which berries score high, has contributed to this strong growth. The global soft fruit sector met at the Global Berry Congress yesterday in Rotterdam in order to look at the future, identify the industry's challenges, spot new trends and place the Chinese market and the Polish production in the spotlight in separate sessions.
The presence of some 350 visitors from more than 30 countries underlined the international character of the event. In addition to the presentations on various subjects, over thirty companies introduced themselves with a stand. In this sense, there were changes compared to last year. While many suppliers of (sorting) machines presented themselves last year, this year the majority were breeders and suppliers of substrates and pots. And, of course, there were also a considerable number of large soft fruit traders and packing companies.
Quality and taste
The two key words are still 'quality' and 'taste'. Thus, Luigi Garavaglia, of ILIP, told about opportunities in packaging to improve the products' sustainability and therefore their quality. The packaging company is committed to reducing food waste and recycling more. The shelf life can be extended, inter alia, with micro perforation, but also by making use of an anti-bacterial coating, which prevents the development of fungi. Furthermore, Luigi believes that the top brand is managing to make great advances.
Estimates
The importance of good estimates was also discussed. Mihai Ciobanu, of Fresh4Cast, told about the solution developed by the company to prevent sales from not going through. "It may happen that you expect a larger volume, so you sign a contract with the supermarket, but in the weeks in which you expect this peak, the production turns out to be smaller than expected," explains Mihai. "A phone call to inform that you'll be unable to deliver the agreed volume is the most unpleasant for a trader."
In order to prevent the client from being disappointed, it is essential to make accurate estimates. With a specially developed piece of software, producers have direct access to any changes in the estimates for the actual harvested volume.
Irrigation
Lastly, the focus was again on the cultivation of berries. Timo Tarkianen, of Priva, presented the Priva Fruit Optimizer, a system that regulates the irrigation of the plants. "Timing is everything," states Timo. "You want the plant to have enough water during the day, but at night the water level should be lower to stimulate root development." In the case of cultivation on substrate, irrigation is certainly important, and in order to ensure the plants receive the right amount of water, this technology can help. The amount of water that a plant needs depends on its transpiration, so you need information about the plant's transpiration cycle. Other important factors are wind and sunlight. The Priva Fruit Optimizer is able to calculate how much the plant will transpire and adjust the irrigation accordingly to the circumstances.
In addition to these technical solutions, visitors were offered presentations on statistical data from various speakers, including Marco Kesteloo (PwC Strategy&) and Cindy van Rijswick (Rabobank); on future prospects, from Cort Brazelton (Fall Creek Farm & Nursery) and Andrés Armstrong (Chilean Blueberry Committee), as well as on developments and marketing opportunities, from Driscoll's, Cuna de Platero and San Lucar, among others, about which we will offer more information in the coming days.
