Interpera, the international pear congress, held this year in Portugal on 26 and 27 June, recorded the best attendance figures of the last 10 years. Around 200 producers, researchers and national and international companies from the sector met in the region of Oeste, where Rocha pear production originated, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of pear production. It was a unique opportunity to establish contacts and exchange multicultural business experiences.
In addition to the great number of Portuguese participants, there were also many foreign delegations, with nine countries represented: Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina and the United States.
The Portuguese Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, was present at the event and closed it with a message calling on all professionals to work together to face the sector's challenges. He also underlined the need to promote Rocha pears, which are a Portuguese symbol.
Fernandes said that "after a difficult season in 2023, mainly due to the impact of climate change, which has taken a toll on the European productions, it is essential to invest in research to combat pests, deal with extreme weather conditions and improve the sector's commercial organization."
Other challenges and opportunities affecting the sector were also discussed during the two days, including European regulations, water use, soil health, marketing, diseases and pests.
Interpera also served to analyze last season's results and reveal the first figures and trends for the 2024 pear campaign in Europe. A clear setback is expected for the next production season due to unstable weather conditions:
- Belgium expects a drop of almost 30%.
- Spain's production volume will probably fall by 25% due to the impact of the water stress suffered by the trees during the last season.
- The Netherlands is also expecting a lower production.
- Portugal, France and Italy are seeing a recovery of their productions, but are still failing to reach their full potential.
Jean-Louis Moulon, Vice-President of AREFLH; José Manuel Fernandes, Portuguese Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries; Felipe Daniel, Mayor of Óbidos; Felipe Ribeiro, President of ANP.
Portugal is one of Europe's main pear producers. The Rocha variety, the symbol of the Oeste region, generates an annual export income of around 85 million euros; a testament to the growing international demand for Rocha pears. In 2022/2023, Portuguese Rocha pears were exported to 20 countries, with three main destinations: Europe (50%), Morocco (20%) and Brazil (20%).
The ANP and AREFLH, co-organizers of this year's edition, considered the event to have been a great success and, based on the feedback from the participants, agreed to define it as a "combination of professionalism and warm conviviality, which allowed fruitful business contacts to be made."
Both organizations look forward to seeing all participants again at the next edition, the venue of which will be revealed in the coming months to newsletter subscribers and at www.interpera.org.
For more information:
Laetitia Forget
Interpera
Tel.: +33 (0) 5 33 89 10 19
[email protected]
www.interpera.org