WUWM Congress – “Digitalization Sustains the Future & Globalization Nourishes Supply Chain”

29 October 2019 - 01 November 2019
Guiyang, China

Executive summary:

During the WUWM Conference in Guiyang experts discussed the promising trends surrounding digitalization and e-commerce. For example, the effects of mobile internet, cloud computing and big data on consumer behavior. Attendants agreed that wholesale and retail markets should embrace new technologies and share best practices among each other. New technologies will enable smart markets. Furthermore, discussions on Mexican wholesale markets concluded that there is much room for improvement in the Mexican industry as many wholesale markets are perceived unhygienic and unattractive. With new marketing strategies and improved markets this should change.

 

The key outcomes of this meeting are:

  1. With the in-depth development of information technology, a new generation of information technologies based on mobile internet, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and other fields are accelerating their in-depth penetration and integration with various fields of society. The development of these cutting-edge technologies has a profound impact on market consumption behavior and the development direction of the informatization of agricultural wholesale market. People in the industry should believe that “science and technology are the first productive forces” and that in the future the applications based on the internet, informatization and big data will be as convenient as mobile phone applications.
  2. WUWM members must dare to embrace the new technology era, be good at using Internet technology and information technology, and move forward to digitalization and intelligence so as to avoid being marginalized.
  3. WUWM members must understand that in the digital economy era, the core of commercial circulation is not how to compete, but how to cooperate better, build a platform, empower each other, and achieve win-win sharing. Rungis International Wholesale market is an example in this domain as they have recently launched the first b2B wholesale market place. WUWM support the development of a network of wholesale market places, or a unified market place for wholesale markets.
  4. SIMAB, a public Portuguese company supporting wholesale and retail markets, has helped the Portuguese wholesale sector reinvent itself and develop new production techniques as well as new products. The sector is today one of the most innovative in the Portuguese economy and has been internationally awarded multiple times for its forward-thinking and modern adaptation to global markets. Some of their used innovations include: an international certification company, international e-commerce B2B platforms, and offline and online support channels for industry processes
  5. Three ‘drivers of change’ that currently affect Latin American agri-food systems are
    1. Climate change: the small Caribbean, Central and South American states, are among the most vulnerable on the planet
    2. New demands that disrupt what we understand by food: With new actors that influence consumption (large retail formats and fast-food chains)
    3. The vertiginous and drastic change with frontier technologies: ICTs, microelectronics, data science, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and distributed ledger technologies and biotechnologies
  6. In Mexico there is a negative perception of wholesale markets because:
    1. Unhygienic shops
    2. Merchants seen below businessmen
    3. Unknown to most of the people
    4. Out of the financial culture
    5. They do not attract new customers
  7. Mexican Wholesale Markets must become change players into their community. It is necessary to create Marketing Strategies and Brand Intelligence through research, data and customer understanding. San Vicente Chicoloapan is the most advanced Wholesale Market in Latam, it´s located at Estado de México, México and it´s a clear example that changing the operation model, can generate relevant results. San Vicente Chicoloapan combines a cutting edge operation concept and modern infrastructure, focused on a win-win model within its community.

 

Main issues discussed:

  • Digitalization Sustains the Future & Globalization Nourishes Supply Chain
    • Dr Donald Darnall, Executive Director of the Maryland Food Center Authority (the “MFCA”) USA and WUWM Honorary Chairman
    • Anne Laure Joumas, Executive Director, Paris Semmaris Rungis International
    • Guiyang Municipality
    • Liu Zhiren, Counselor of the State Council of P.R.China.
  • Exploration of E-commerce in Agricultural Wholesale Markets
    • Zhang Junjun, Chairman of Jiangsu Wuxi Sunny Group Co., Ltd
    • Ye Canjiang, Chairman and General Manager of Guangzhou Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market Management Co., Ltd.
    • Joao Tiago Carapau, International Business & Project Manager, SIMAB SA
    • Tonatiuh Salinas, Co-Founder of InvestMx and Lidh Bank, Mexico
    • Panel discussion
      • Liu Zhiren, Counselor of the State Council of P.R. China
      • John Triantafyllis, CEO Central Markets and Fishery Organizaion SA (Greece)
      • John Triantafyllis, CEO Central Markets and Fishery Organizaion SA (Greece)
      • Brad Latham, Chief Executive Officer, Sydney Markets Limited
      • Pablo Vilanova, Director of Strategy, MERCABARNA, Barcelona, Spain
      • Gye Ho Roh, Branch Manager (Executive Director), Seoul Agro Fisheries & Food Corporation, South Korea
      • Peng Biao, General Manager of the Business Management Department of Shanghai Vegetable (Group) Co., Ltd.
      • Jiang Liguo, CEO, Qinhuangdao Yideli Technology Corp., Ltd.
    • The Future of Smart Wholesale Markets
      • Flavio Pezzoli, Operations Manager, Centro Agroalimentare Roma C.A.R. S.c.p.A.
      • Luis Ginocchio, Specialist in Agricultural Business and Sustainable Food Systems, FAO Consultant
      • Peng Jiyuan, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman and General Manager of Inner Mongolian Shiquanshimei Co., Ltd.
      • Francisco Graue, Founder and CEO of Pop Group, Mexico
      • Panel discussion
        • Rui Paulo Figueiredo, CEO SIMAB (Portugal)
        • Dr J. S Yadav, Managing Director, National Council of State Agricultural Marketing Boards of India, New Delhi
        • Zengjun Ma, China Agricultural Wholesale Market Association CAWA Chairman & WUWM Chairman
        • Jiang Xiumei

Francisco Graue, Founder and CEO of Pop Group, Mexico

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