PORTLAND, Ore. (February 17, 2010) – Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, has been named president of the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA). Moffitt has been actively involved with WAPA since its inception, most recently serving a two-year term in the role of vice president. At the organization’s annual meeting in Berlin last week, he was designated as president for a two-year term, succeeding Alessandro Dalpiaz of Assomela in Italy. Peter Beaven of Pipfruit New Zealand was named vice president.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary for the organization, which was founded in 2001 to provide a forum for apple and pear producing countries around the globe. The organization facilitates communication and collaboration for the common good of apple and pear producers, working to boost global consumption of these fruits while also increasing profitability to producers.
“WAPA’s members share a common goal of increasing global consumption of apples and pears, and I look forward to helping advance that mission by bridging communication between fellow members for the good of the world apple and pear industry,” Moffitt commented about the value of this appointment. “WAPA serves an important point of reference for the industry, collecting and distributing valuable information and resources for its members.”
2011 is a landmark year for WAPA for reasons other than its 10-year anniversary. For the first time in the organization’s history, a representative from China attended the annual meeting, an important first step to strengthening WAPA’s ties with the world’s largest apple and pear producing country.
Philippe Binard, WAPA’s secretary, commented on Moffitt’s role as president, “Kevin's experience in marketing and nutrition will be a great asset for the association, as these issues are increasing priorities on WAPA's agenda. Also, WAPA has set the first contact with the Chinese industry and hopefully under Kevin's presidency we will be able to formalize the relationship with China.”
The WAPA annual meeting included a compilation and review of southern hemisphere apple and pear production forecasts along with a review by current stocks in the Northern Hemisphere. Other key topics on the agenda were a top line analysis of nutrition and health claim research, and a plan for next steps; an evaluation of WAPA’s recently redesigned website which is showing a 26% increase in traffic vs. one year ago; and a presentation on Chinese apple and pear production.
Source: Pear Bureau Northwest