BREAKING BARRIERS
Portugal's economic recovery has seen its F&B sector emerge with annual turnovers of EUR16 billion, thanks to FIPA's undeterred focus on stable policies, excellent nutrition standards, and sustainability.
BIOGRAPHY
Pedro Queiroz has extensive experience as a trainer in the area of food security management systems, having collaborated on several national and European research and development projects. Apart from being general manager of FIPA, Queiroz is a member of the Committee of Directors General of FoodDrinkEurope. He has degrees in biochemistry engineering and biotechnology engineering.What steps has FIPA taken to foster the competitiveness of the local food industry?
The food and drink industry in Portugal currently sees turnover of about EUR16 billion per year. FIPA represents about 85% of the entire food industry; we have branch associations, large national companies, and multinationals. We are a lobbying organization, and our main goal is to deal with stakeholders in government, non-profit organizations, and other associations. We have several ministries to deal with; in the past, we worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, though now we also work with the ministries of health, economy, environment, and finance on various aspects. Our networking is our greatest asset. We are recognized as the voice of the sector and follow all the developments.
How does FIPA enable the food industry to capture a greater international market share?
There are two major issues for our federation, and one is the competitiveness of our sector. With that in mind, our main pillars are innovation and exports. The global financial crisis hit certain sectors hard, and they realized the only solution was to grow exports. The boom in exports came after 2012, and in the last five years exports have grown by over 10% annually. It is not only about selecting products and exporting them; there are also trade barriers and logistics problems that need to be resolved. To that end, FIPA was extremely engaged in devising a strategy for the food and drink industry in Portugal to boost exports. We are engaged with the national competitiveness cluster that provides all the tools for international fairs, deals with trading issues, and picks our companies in an organized way. Notably, FIPA created what we call technical scientific mediators to create a link between universities and companies to transfer knowledge and solutions.
What are some of the biggest competitive advantages of Portugal's food industry?
Portugal has great raw materials in areas such as vegetables and fruit, for example. We have excellent technology in our factories and modern processes. When we entered the EU, we needed to adapt to new regulations and were behind many countries in Europe. However, today our new factories are world-class in technology. We have great human resources, and our universities offer outstanding education in the food industry and agronomics. As a small country, we have the creativity and know-how to take advantage of excellent raw materials; it is vital to have a great end product.
What are FIPA's top objectives and priorities for 2019?
We are pleased that Portugal is emerging from the crisis and recovering. We are currently dealing with several important issues. We have a major challenge with competitiveness and are working to ensure a more competitive food industry. However, there is instability in policies. For example, fiscal and labor policies are not predictable. If we want to grow with confidence and attract more foreign investment, we need to improve. One of the main challenges for FIPA is asking for more predictable policies. What is important is to be part of the dialogue on nutrition and creating an environment where dialogue can thrive. Our second-biggest challenge is being part of the evolution in society regarding consumer behavior and nutrition. Third, we have to maintain the reputation of FIPA and the industry. Sometimes, a negative perception about us is cultivated by health professionals, nutritionists, doctors, and more recently politicians. The fourth challenged is sustainability. Portugal and Europe as a whole will face more challenges regarding sustainability, packaging, pollution, and waste. We are dealing with the main circular economy, and it is a big challenge for us. We need to know what to do about food waste, packaging materials, logistics circuits, and reducing our carbon footprint. Addressing all these challenges will bring greater competitiveness to our industry.
BREAKING BARRIERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries
Making an Impact
Established in 1996, the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP) is a mechanism geared at linking and sharing the experience of Lusophone countries. Besides Portugal, this includes Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
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Don’t Mind the Disruption
Having won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon hosted the 2018 event. The relevance? Well, the contest began back in 1956 as a showcase not only of song, but of then-nascent live television broadcast technology. Today, Portugal is on the cutting edge of new technological developments.
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João Pedro Soeiro de Matos Fernandes , Minister , Environment and Energy Transition
The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Transition is focusing on decarbonizing the economy, valuing the territory and its habitats, and striving for a more circular use of the country's resources.
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António Braz Costa , General Manager, Portuguese Technological Centre for the Textile & Clothing Industries (CITEVE)
CITEVE has transformed the industry by promoting value addition, adopting the latest technologies, and ensuring the highest standards of environmental sustainability.
read articleFocus: New airport
Right Time to Seize Missed Opportunities
Portugal has seen its air traffic figures increase by as much as 80% in the last five years. As a result, its transportation infrastructure, and Lisbon's airport in particular, cannot cope with the rising numbers. A new airport project that will turn a military base into a commercial airport is now under discussion to bring much-needed relief to air traffic.
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Germano de Sousa , President, Grupo Germano de Sousa
Grupo Germano de Sousa's success can best be summed up by its understanding that science and medicine only really progress when technological development is combined with a deeper respect for human values and professional ethics.
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Isabel Capeloa Gil , Rector, Universidade Católica
Having pioneered the introduction of multiple subject areas to Portugal's tertiary education scene, Universidade Católica is aspiring to establish the country's first private medical school and introduce cutting-edge digital transformation.
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Carlos Guillén Gestoso , President, Escola Universitária de Ciências Empresariais, Saúde, Tecnologias e Engenharia & President, Atlantica University
Atlantica University differentiates through its company-university model and an MBA program in partnership with the University of California, Berkley, among other initiatives, to produce practical theoreticians.
read articleFocus: Public teaching staff
An Age-old Problem
Over a decade of austerity measures combined with an ageing population have seen the average age of the Portuguese public teaching staff progressively climb to one of the highest in the OECD. With frozen salaries, an extended retirement age, and precarious working conditions, today the sector faces one of its biggest challenge yet.
read articleInterview
Pedro Queiroz , General Manager, Federation of the Portuguese Agri-Food Industry (FIPA)
Portugal's economic recovery has seen its F&B sector emerge with annual turnovers of EUR16 billion, thanks to FIPA's undeterred focus on stable policies, excellent nutrition standards, and sustainability.
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