A representative of Canadian greenhouse firm Red Sun Farms has urged growers to take full advantage of barcode data gathered by retailers selling their products, saying it can be of huge benefit to everyday business decisions. 

The Ontario-based organization's chief operating officer Carlos Visconti said analyzing information from price look-up (PLU) codes and universal product codes (UPCs) could provide vital insights to help producers and retailers 'advance together'.

Visconti is due to speak on the subject at the upcoming Produce Marketing Associaton's (PMA) Fresh Connections: Mexico event, to be held in Querétaro on May 6 and 7.

In addition to bringing together professionals from across the fruit and vegetable supply chain and providing networking opportunities, the event offers educational sessions and presentations on local and global consumption trends, as well as the latest innovations in product storage, transportation and management.

"Once we have access to that information and we can see how the product is behaving with the customer, we can analyze it and see which products the retailer needs more of," Visconti told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"It could help you prepare for next season because you might need one or two more production hectares for growth."

He highlighted one example in his operation where a retailer wanted more of a product that had seen little sales growth. In response, the company modified the packaging and saw 'huge growth'.

"That's one thing, another thing is that when I put the PLUs on my product, I'm also putting my logo there, which means people access my webpage, ask questions and ask for recipes. So it's not just data - you're also doing marketing and promotion," Visconti said.

"At the event I want to give lots of real examples of how it can help, so people don't just see the PLU as another packaging specification."

The Red Sun Farms representative also said producers often found it challenging to obtain the data from some retailers.

"I think we as the growers deserve access to this information to make better decisions. At the end of the day, it's a win-win situation. It's definitely the best way to manage this information, otherwise we grow without having vision or direction" he said.

He added that PMA Fresh Connections: Mexico would be a good opportunity to share with other growers and help them build their futures.

"For me I'm very happy to be able to share part of our experiences with the usage of this information," Visconti said.

"I'm going to spend a couple of days at the event meeting people and answering questions, sharing our experience with them."

Red Sun Farms, which Visconti claimed was now the 'biggest high-tech' greenhouse producer in Mexico, is also about to have its first year-round organic tomato program.

Production got underway at its greenhouse in the U.S. state of Virginia in October last year - running from around March until November - and organic tomato production will also kick off this winter in a facility located in the Mexican state of Michoacan, with crops to be harvested from September until June.

Mexican economic outlook

Another guest speaker at next month's PMA event will be Mexican economist Dr. Gerardo Esquivel, who is a professor and researcher at El Colegio de Mexico.

He told www.freshfruitportal.com his talk would largely be focused on the country's macroeconomic perspectives, the possible effects of recent reforms, and what those reforms could mean for the agricultural sector.

"I plan to provide a general vision of the Mexican economy and its outlook in a context of many reforms which have been recently approved. They won't all necessarily be translated into a bigger economic growth," he said.

"I'll also put some figures from the agricultural sector in the context of the broader economy. It's essential to understand the macroeconomic context because it's hugely important to what happens in the agricultural industry."

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