Events

Syngenta at Fruit Logistica 2010: Bringing plant potential to life

FL 2010 looks for new strategies to help the fresh produce sector deal with recession

Fruit Logistica 2010 has not only set out to provide an overview of global fruit and vegetable production and trade, but it has also confronted the current market situation by exploring new strategies for tackling the economic downturn.

According to GLOBALGAP chairman Nigel Garbutt, the message for the fresh produce sector is to look to the long term with a focus on food safety and sustainability. Under the slogan of “Bringing plant potential to life”, Syngenta has been a prominent figure at Fruit Logistica, presenting itself as a company that provides integrated crop solutions and services, since it increasingly seeks to combine the strengths of its seeds business and crop protection business segments.

Fruit Logistica is a popular, well-established event for the fresh produce sector, which attracts the industry's key decision makers, wholesale and retail buyers, fruit and vegetable growers and import-export business representatives. “This is an important business event. Above all, it is vital to meet all the players in the chain who are involved in the fresh produce market, so this event is unmissable,” declared Arnold Reijers, marketing manager of FresQ.

A total of 2,302 exhibitors from 71 countries (2,283 from 78 countries in 2009) have been present at the 3-day fresh produce trade fair (3-5 February). Europe has been particularly well represented, with a large turn-out from the key produce trading nations, most notably Italy (413 exhibitors), Spain (311), Germany (244), France (239) and the Netherlands (217).

In parallel with Fruit Logistica, visitors have also had the opportunity to attend Freshconex 2010, the international trade fair for fresh produce convenience. Topics at the various forum sessions have included packaging, convenience, future fresh-cut trends and innovation.

Syngenta
Under the slogan of “Bringing plant potential to life”, Syngenta has offered its own perspective on the fresh produce market. “It is important to show that Syngenta is a single company that combines crop protection and seeds. In this way, customers are made aware that Syngenta can attend to every part of the process and can offer them more by combining and capitalising on the strengths of each segment,” Syngenta’s brassica product manager Wolfgang Ott explained.

Syngenta outlined the following key strategies in the seeds segment:

Generating consumer insights by driving vegetable innovations
Growth solutions for the vegetable value chain by exploring market spaces, transport, storability, shelf attractiveness and year-round availability
Agricultural performance with a purpose: resistances, yield, adaptability and robustness, best-in-class testing and trailing, multiple locations and circumstances

And in the crop protection segment:

Ensuring quality and safety standards: integrated crop solutions
Responsible farming, enhancing biodiversity, safe practice and high productivity
Innovation in integrated crop systems, for example by responsible residue management.

For more information about Fruitlogistica 2010, click here

Syngenta Tomatoes Today will publish more interviews related to Fruitlogistica 2010 in the forthcoming weeks: