The Northern Ireland agri-food sector must adopt a greater marketing focus if it wants to maximise its success in the future, according to researchers from the University of Ulster.

The university research team issued the warning ahead of an agri-food marketing conference to be hosted at its Coleraine campus on September 8th.

The School of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), have organised the one-day conference, 'Agri-food - Fit to Survive?: Strategies for Competitive Success'.

Dr Gillian Armstrong, one of the event organisers, said: “Given the pressures and challenges associated with recent Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform and the greater exposure to market forces, it is imperative that the agri-food sector adopts a greater marketing focus.

“Consequently, issues of marketing awareness and competency are of great importance. A successful adoption of a market orientation would allow the agri-food sector to become better positioned to exploit emerging opportunities particularly in speciality and niche food offerings.”

Dr Mark Durkin, Head of the School of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, added: “Providing a forum to bring marketing and entrepreneurial perspectives into the area of agri-food marketing is profoundly important.”

The one-day conference will have speakers from Ulster Bank, Moy Park and the Ulster Farmer’s Union among others.

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