Only a few hours remain for a new edition of Macfrut. The special visit of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will take place. He has been invited to the city of Cesena to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the international fruit and vegetable fair organized by Cesena Fiera. In the heart of the Malatesta city (Piazza della Libertà), a preview of the fair will be set up along with companies from the horticultural and poultry sectors, with about 15 stands.
On Wednesday, at the Rimini Expo Center (9:30 am to 6:00 pm), the 40th edition of Macfrut will begin. The inauguration ceremony will take place at 11 am, with the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida; the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi; Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut; Ettore Prandini, National President of Coldiretti; Cristiano Fini, National President of CIA Italian Farmers; Massimiliano Giansanti, National President of Confagricoltura; Gian Luca Gallo, Councilor of Agriculture of the Calabria Region; Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region; and Matteo Zoppas, President of Agenzia Ice. The event will be hosted by Simona Ventura.
Additionally, two important activities will attract a large audience on Wednesday. First, at 2:00 pm, the Italian Pavilion at the Doha Expo will be inaugurated, in a national preview of the Rimini Fair. At 3:30 pm, the candidacy for Expo 2030 Rome will be presented.
The protagonist of the fair is the fruit and vegetable supply chain, a strategic sector of the Made in Italy agri-food industry. For Macfrut, these are record numbers due to the fair’s 60,000 square meters of exhibition space, which is an increase of 35% compared to last year (two more pavilions), and 200% increase compared to eight years ago. Foreign exhibitors have also grown by 50%, representing 38% of the total, in addition to 1,500 top international buyers. The event will host a hundred meetings throughout the three days, including conferences on the main topics of the sector (Biosolutions, International Blueberry Day, Spices and Medicinal Herbs, Tomato, Nurseries), as well as a trial field and technology showcase in the sector.
South America will be an important partner and will be present as a protagonist in a whole pavilion. It will be the first time for Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Egypt will also have a maxi stand with 22 companies. There will be a dedicated pavilion for Africa with 19 countries and the return of China with 32 companies for the first time in an agri-food fair, post-Covid.
At the center is the horticultural sector, the excellence of Made in Italy due the strength of its supply chain, representing a quarter of the national agricultural production (1.2 million cultivated hectares) and involving 300,000 companies. In 2022, Italy produced around 25 million tons of fruits and vegetables, with a production value of approximately 15 billion euros. Exports in 2022 exceeded 10 billion euros (fresh and processed) with a trade balance of +2.762 million euros, a figure that is expected to triple when considering the entire supply chain.
Smartcherry at Macfrut
For the second consecutive year, Smartcherry will be present at Macfrut; in addition to offering complete coverage of the three days of the event, the cherry-specialized platform will be a media partner of Macfrut. It will have a stand at the Rimini exhibition center and participate in commercial meetings.
“We will once again be at one of the most important horticultural fairs in Europe, where there will be a lot of relevant information for the cherry industry; we will accompany the Chilean delegations that will be present and, of course, we will provide complete coverage of everything related to agro technology, biosolutions, and new varieties; our Director of Clients and New Projects, Claudia Barriga, and our Editorial Director, Andrea Garrido, will be at the fair,” detailed Javiera López, General Director of Smartcherry.
All the details of Macfrut 2023 will be available at www.smartcherry.cl and www.smartcherryworld.cl.
