The rise in factor prices is a “huge problem” that will affect the entire value chain – production, industry, distribution and consumer – and the balance should only reach “mid” 2022, according to the executive director of PortugalFoods.
“We are now faced with the well-known situation of increased production costs, whether due to increased energy, fuel or lack of raw materials. A number of problems are currently being raised. they are due to external factors that we cannot control, ”PortugalFoods CEO Deolinda Silva said in a statement to Lusa.
At the moment, the “problem is huge”, namely for the agri-food sector, and the impact of this growth will be reflected in all links of the chain – production, industry, distribution and consumer. Only in the middle of 2022 should a “certain balance” appear, which may be accompanied by an increase in the value of exports.
“Companies are facing an unmistakable challenge right now. […]… The industry is making tremendous efforts to fill the shortage of materials, as well as a huge increase in prices for these goods, ”he stressed.
Deolinda Silva also highlighted the sector’s “exemplary behavior” during the pandemic, responding to demand and focusing on opening up new markets.
On the other hand, the diversification of sales processes has also accelerated thanks to covid-19, and in addition to physical stores, companies want to have a presence in national and international markets. “Innovation is the key word for survival at the moment. In the medium to long term, those who do not innovate will not grow, and they will not have the opportunities for companies that invest in innovation, ”he said.
In terms of training in this sector and investing in Industry 4.0, Deolinda Silva told Lusa that PortugalFoods wants to invest in the second edition of PortugalFoods_Qualifica as part of Portugal 2030. The latest initiative was launched recently over two years and attracted 357,000 people. euro investment covering a series of training events on topics such as digital economy, circular economy or financial literacy.
“This experience was very enjoyable. Much has been accomplished in a very short time. We want to develop a new project that provides this degree of closeness to companies. […]… We need to wait for specific notifications [do Portugal 2030] launched. We still don’t know to what extent this will happen, but from our point of view, it will happen during the first quarter of 2022, ”he said.
This new edition should continue the topics already discussed by introducing others in consultation with the companies. “The digital and green transition will remain in our vocabulary and our operations, but there will be other topics such as balanced supply chain management,” he announced.
PortugalFoods has over 150 members, including companies, national scientific system actors in the agri-food sector and other related actors.
