Bayer, a leader in processing peppers, gathers top sector representatives to analyse the future of farming

Companies from Spain, Turkey, Italy and Portugal commit to mechanical harvesting and digital farming to improve efficiency.

David Murcia, Pepper Crop Sales Manager.

The transfer of knowledge, debate and reflection made yesterday’s meeting an interesting day during which Bayer made clear its offer to assist all food chain operators on the road towards leadership. “We do not want wish to be known only as seed suppliers; our role goes far beyond that and our wish is to become allies for the pepper processing sector in order to develop successful strategies together,” said David Murcia, Pepper Crop Sales Manager at Bayer Vegetable Seeds.

The event was held under the slogan “We listen to you”, which identifies the original working philosophy Bayer carries out through the Nunhems® brand, which is very much present in all segments of the food chain to foster a constant exchange of information in benefit to all.

Analysing market trends and developing new formats and packaging presentations aimed at meeting the demands from new consumer profiles was another of the topics widely discussed at the Lisbon meeting during an interesting roundtable.

In attendance were producers and distributors mainly from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Turkey. The leading processors quickly accepted the invitation from Bayer, a company that is currently the clear European leader in the industrial pepper sector through the varieties offered by the Nunhems® brand. Pompeo F1, Rialto F1, Ricardo F1, Claudio F1, Tarquinio F1, Torpedo F1, United F1 and Semerkand F1 are the favourite varieties in the different production areas.

Improved decision making in the field through digital farming is another decisive element for the future of processed peppers. During the event yesterday, it was made clear that the constant rise of new applications will revolutionise “right from the palm of your hand” the way crops are grown and will help producers and processors optimise their crops through adequate information processing “using new digital tools with unlimited possibilities,” explained Pablo García-Nieto, from Bayer.

Improving mechanical harvesting is one of the main challenges of the future for the world processed pepper sector. This sector is in a phase of technological innovation and the gradual inclusion of more and more advanced harvesters, which are two important allies for increasing efficiency, sustainability and profitability. For this reason, Bayer shared some of the most outstanding technological innovations with the major European pepper processing companies with collaboration from Elvin Stoltzfus, the founder and president of Pik Rite, the North American company which specialises in mechanical harvesting technologies.

Market trends

Artur Dias Santos, reported on the most adequate strategies for the industry for minimising and streamlining the presence of remains in pepper crops.

Analysing market trends and developing new formats and packaging presentations aimed at meeting the demands from new consumer profiles was another of the topics widely discussed at the Lisbon meeting during an interesting roundtable. The changes in consumption and the influence new developments will have on the industry were subject of great debate, which clearly reflected the constant increase in the market of frozen products that include peppers as a primary ingredient.

To this end, the moderator of the meeting, David Murcia, agreed with those in attendance upon acknowledging that it is very likely frozen peppers will see its commercial positioning strengthened in the coming years given that they offer nutritional value and flavour at a very attractive price for large segments of the population. “We must keep in mind the signs we’re seeing in the markets because consumers are constantly evolving and this forces the rest of the food chain to also be in a constant process of change,” said David Murcia, who highlighted the importance of “whatever we do, we have to be continuously connected with our consumers.”

As concerns the food safety consumers and the distribution chains demand, the Vegetable Seeds representative of Bayer in Portugal, Artur Dias Santos, reported on the most adequate strategies for the industry for minimising and streamlining the presence of remains in pepper crops. The section dedicated to market trends concluded with an interesting presentation by Elena Ozeritskaya, a Fresh Insight consultant. The engaging conference yesterday ended with a successful motivation and leadership talk from consultant José Juan Aguado, in representation of Atman Teambuilding.