The organization of Fruit Logistica, the most important trading platform in the fresh produce sector, has moved to Panama City to develop a day of conferences for professionals in the agricultural export sector in Panama.
More than twenty companies from different areas related to the export of horticultural production in the country attended the event, which was called "International Projection of Panamanian horticulture".
Eduardo Palacios, National Director of Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Panama (MICI), was responsible for opening the conference and in his speech he stated that the agriculture had represented 35% of Panama's total exports in 2014 with income for $180 million dollars. Palacios highlighted the quality of the main Panamanian traditional products, such as pineapple, melon, watermelon, and bananas. However, he said, the administration is also committed to promoting productions with export potential, such as hot pepper or yam, among others. Panama's main partners the United States, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. The MICI encouraged the attendees to participate in FRUIT LOGISTICA so they could see what it offered and be open to new agreements and markets.
Anthony Carrera, Logistics Director at Pineapple La Chiricana, one of the Panamanian veterans at the event, shared their experience at the fair. "The importance of FRUIT LOGISTICA is high. It is a unique and special meeting for all production, marketing and logistics of global horticulture," he said.
The attendee producers heeded the advice and recommendations of Frank Ocampo, head of overseas imports from the Caribbean of the Dutch importer The Greenery. Ocampo insisted fruit and vegetable producers should comply with certain recommendations in order to become suppliers of importing European reference, but he also recognized importers needed to work together with producers.
The session ended with the official presentation of FRUIT LOGISTICA by its Director of Communications for Spain and Latin America, Silvia De Juanes, who spoke about the business and learning opportunities offered by the fair. "FRUIT LOGISTICA has paid special attention to innovation for several issues. That's why there are special venues with free lectures cycles, which are translated simultaneously, regarding different key issues of the sector during the days of the fair. Silvia De Juanes reviewed the online tools that FRUIT LOGISTICA offers visitors and exhibitors so they can contact the entire catalogue of participants, in advance or after the fair, through its Virtual Market Place.
Last February, FRUIT LOGISTICA attracted more than 65,000 high-level trade visitors from more than 135 countries. 2,785 exhibitors from 83 countries presented a wide range of products from all sectors of the horticultural trade.
The surveys completed by 2,785 exhibitors in the last FRUIT LOGISTICA revealed that about 90% of the exhibitors rated their participation positively and said it had been a commercial success. Even thought the signing of contracts was not a primary goal for most exhibitors, 45.3% of them said they had conducted business operations during the event. In addition, around 90% of them said they were confident that business derived from the fair would be satisfactory or very satisfactory. Consequently, 89% of the exhibitors had an excellent and very positive overall impression of this edition of FRUIT LOGISTICA.
Panama had its first participation as an exhibitor at this event, considered a gateway to the global market, in 2009.