The Global Coalition of Fresh Produce just successfully held its first webinar for the global fresh produce industry,  titled “Economic sustainability in global supply chains for fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Over 200 commercial operators, industry representatives, national and international officials, and academics registered for the webinar. Attendees were from countries including Canada, Ecuador, Italy, Uganda, and New Zealand.

  The webinar was moderated by the Coalition’s Chair, Ron Lemaire of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, and featured presentations by experts in the global fresh produce industry, including Cindy van Rijswick, global strategist at Rabobank. She discussed global trends in supply chains for fruits and vegetables. 

Alan Renwick, professor of agricultural economics at Lincoln University in New Zealand, discussed the power relations between suppliers of fruits and vegetables and retailers, while Niccolò Ciulli, advisor at Eurocommerce focused on consumers’ value perception and willingness to pay for fruits and vegetables.

Various coalition members described how fertilizer, energy, and shipping cost spikes during and after the COVID pandemic continue to impact global fruit and vegetable producers. According to a recent Coalition survey presented during the webinar, less than half of all fruits and vegetables sold worldwide are profitable for producers. 

However, despite these difficulties – which add to producers’  challenges from an increasingly variable and changing climate – panelists agreed that the global fresh produce industry is inherently dynamic and resilient. 

Fruits and vegetables are key elements in the global shift toward healthier and environmentally sustainable diets. This will be the focus of the Coalition’s next two seminars, on environmental sustainability and on the consumption and promotion of fruits and vegetables. These dates will be announced later.   

The recording of the webinar of 19 September is accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVDbgDvswU0.