VOG: ?Excellent opportunities in east and south-east Asia?

The Hong Kong event, which continues to grow, gave representatives of the VOG Consortium the chance to meet with clients and importers that operate in this vast region of Asia. There were various reasons and goals behind VOG’s decision to attend the show. “First of all – explained Director Gerhard Dichgans – covering markets like East Asia and South-East Asia brings with it a lot of amazing opportunities. Demand is focused most closely on premium quality varieties and varieties with excellent flavour. The Jazz™ and the envy™ are already well established but I also believe that the Pink Lady® has a lot of potential in this area. Among the traditional varieties, the Royal Gala is the most popular, together with the Granny Smith. However, the support of the Italian government will be required in order to strengthen the presence of Italian apples: we hope that bilateral agreements will soon be signed with regard to phytosanitary protocols, guaranteeing us access to the markets of key nations like Thailand and Vietnam.” The Consortium currently serves customers in Singapore and Malaysia. “For us – continued the Director of VOG – various factors during the season that has just ended hindered sales in South-East Asia, first and foremost the exchange rate, which in some countries made European apples quite expensive.” “The presence of the Consortium in these countries - he concluded - remains a long-term strategy and I believe there are still lots of development opportunities in the area.” Press contactsSabine Oberhollenzer, VOG Tel +39 0471-256722 e-mail: sabine.oberhollenzer@vog.itFederica Morselli, VOG Press Office Tel +39 059-7863894 e-mail: federica.morselli@fruitecom.itc/o Fruitecom