COLDLOGISTICSCOMES TOGETHER INBERLIN LOLI DOLZ Director Diario del Puerto Publications Fruit Logistica opens its doors today and it does so safe in the knowledge that the main operators in the global fresh fruit and fruit and vegetable industrywill all be represented in Berlin. The world’s leading players in this business will all be together under the same roof in Germany, and Spain will be showcasing the very best it has to offer. Producers, logistics operators and ports have already confirmed to Diario del Puerto Publicaciones that they will be travelling to Germany. However, theweight of uncertainty is still hanging around their necks, impeding them frommaking plans for the future. By its verynature, the fruit andvegetable industryhas todealwithcountless external factors, such as the weather which canwipe out entire harvests. This is now being added to political factors (such as the Common Agricultural Policy, the new plastic tax and the war in the Ukraine), and energy and logistics factors with unacceptable costs in transporting rawmaterials. According to FEPEX and other agri-food associations, the worst thing is that these cost increases cannot be passed on to clients. They point out that input costs in the fruit and vegetable handling industry (electricity, diesel, wood, cardboard and plastic for packaging and evenwages) have shot up in the last year. Meanwhile, the logistics chain is also insisting that it needs to pass on this increase in costs and is complaining that the efforts being made are barely enough to avoid closure. Only the sector’s exceptional ability to adapt, its professionalism and the application of state-of-the-art technologies and management methods keep many companies in business, the employers’ organisations point out. When asked about forecasts, the cold logistics sector remains silent. Uncertainty continues tomark the agenda. However, ATFRIEpoints out that the process of companymergers and buyouts is creating stronger companies, whichwill have adirect effect on the sector as itwill benefit fromamore solid financial position. In turn, ADELFE defines the situation as one of ”critical stability” and CETM Frigoríficos and FROET state that 2023 could be a year inwhichmacro-operations continue to take place, enabling companies to join forces and to take advantage of synergies to tackle new challenges. Whilewewait to see how things pan out, businesswill be brisk inBerlin andDiariodel Puertowill be there, travellingwith the Spanishdelegationand with this special bilingual publication you have in your hands. The publication brings together the forecasts and opinions of themain stakeholders that make up the agricultural value chain, the services and projects of Spanish ports and the latest news from the select group of companies who have decided to participate with us. Happy reading!
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