Leaders from Fruit Logistica, the huge fresh produce trade show in Berlin that opens on Wednesday, have released their free annual guide for 2023 that includes information on Europe’s fresh fruit and vegetable sector.
The European Statistics Handbook, which can be downloaded from its website, covers all of the industry’s product categories. So what is included? According to Fruit Logistica, these are the major topics:
• “A shift towards price as a key driver of consumer spending. Despite a market recovery post-Covid, demand and value are under pressure in some cases as a result of the cost of living crisis. For some consumers, the importance of drivers like sustainability, regionality and organics has decreased.
• A bigger challenge for producers from extreme weather. Several different crops were affected by adverse conditions in the past year, including heatwaves, droughts, extreme frosts, storms, and floods.
• A marked increase in the cost of production. The war in Ukraine was followed by a sharp rise in the cost of various inputs, like fertiliser, fuel, energy, and labour. In some areas, production was cut back or even stopped.
• Better news in terms of the global movement of goods. There were some signs of improvement on availability and cost of freight transport capacity. But serious challenges remained – less attractive euro exchange rates, limited availability of truck drivers within Europe, and higher fuel prices.”
The European Statistics Handbook 2023 is compiled by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) in partnership with Fruitnet Media International. It is published by FRUIT LOGISTICA.
The event runs through Friday at Messe Berlin. Last year, nearly 73,000 attended the show. Prior to COVID, Fruit Logistica drew more than 3,330 exhibitors.
