Macfrut 2019, Italy looks abroad

A month before the 36th edition of Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable industry scheduled in Rimini from 8 to 10 May, figures are growing: 8 pavilions, over 1,100 exhibitors, 25% of which from abroad, 1,500 buyers invited from all over the world, and about sixty events including summits, business meetings and conventions, proving that this fair is also rich in content.

The key point of the trade show, which has been investing in this aim for years, is internationalization. “Italian fruit and vegetable industry is too dependent on the internal market, meaning European market, because selling in Germany or in the Netherlands no longer means exporting” - says Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut. “I believe that, at least for the products that allow it, future means widening the target markets. One of the most interesting ones is the area of the Persian Gulf, which today represents less than 2% of the export of fresh Italian fruit and vegetables and which I think is worth much more”- he concludes.

Therefore, the central topic for the growth of the Italian fruit and vegetable industry is the development of the international market. And here Macfrut plays a key role, in its strong commitment to internationalization: the promotional tour of the 2019 edition saw around thirty presentation missions around the world, foreign exhibitors present in Rimini will be 25%, including a remarkable pavilion entirely dedicated to Africa. There will be 200 companies from 14 countries: Angola, Benin, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia. Among the innovations on the international level, we point out the first presence of Cuba with 5 companies, Proecuador with 8 large companies, the Mexican state of Zacatecas with 6 companies.

Thanks to the tested synergy with ICE Agency, 1500 buyers have been invited from all over the world (only five years ago they were 250), with important confirmations from Eastern Europe, the Persian Gulf (Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar), India and Southeast Asia. Buyers who have registered for Macfrut will be able to take advantage of an important opportunity, “Macfrut Hosted Buyers Program”: from the first week of April the B2B platform is open, an online system in which each operator can set appointments with exhibitors in order to create his/her own customized agenda. The organizers will then send the final agenda in the first few days of May, after which each registered operator can print his/her ticket, schedule and agenda. In addition to the benefits related to the customized organization of the visit to Macfrut and the possibility of being hosted, buyers participating in the program will have access to the VIP Business Lounge, a reserved area set up in Rimini Fiera pavilions in which they will be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi, interpreting, wardrobe and other services.