Organic Food Iberia, a new fair for the organic industry

The international event organizer, Diversified Communications, has announced the launch of Organic Food Iberia. This new trade fair, devoted to the increasingly important organic industry in Spain, will be held for the first time at IFEMA, in Madrid, in 2019.

The event will take place from 6 to 7 June 2019. This date has been chosen to prevent it from being too close in the schedule to other major trade fairs.

Given that Spain has the largest organic acreage in Europe, it is surprising that this will be the first fully professional international trade event devoted to the organic sector to be held in the country.

Its launch responds to the demands of several Spanish and Portuguese producers, who requested a dedicated international trade fair to promote this increasingly successful market. And they were not alone. It has been shown that there is substantial demand and support for the new event. Many have commented that the organization of such an event in the Spanish market was long overdue.

Mr Francisco Javier Maté, Deputy General Director for Differentiated Quality and Organic Agriculture, of the General Directorate of Food Industry, MAPAMA, commented on the initiative. "The organization of a professional fair in Spain devoted to organic agro-food products is one of the actions included in the Ministry's 2018-2020 National Strategy for Organic Production. We are pleased to see it being launched in 2019. The fair will bring together producers from across the Iberian Peninsula, so there will be great diversity and potential."

Álvaro Barrera, president of the Asociación Valor Ecológico, CAAE (Ecovalia), said that "it was high time that Spain had a meeting point for producers, processors and marketers, given the increase in small, medium and large consumption. Thus, Organic Food Iberia is a safe bet for the future."

Fernando P. Gómez Molina, General Director of ProExport Murcia-FEPEX said that "we are looking forward to the fair, which will allow us to promote our organic food and attract buyers and professionals from around the world. The production of organic fresh fruits and vegetables in Spain is constantly developing. More operators are becoming certified each year, and the productions intended for international consumption are expanded and diversified, without any sacrifices in terms of quality, flavour or freshness. The demand for Spanish organic fruits and vegetables is on the rise in Europe. We could say that Organic Food Iberia is arriving at the right time."

For his part, Amândio Santos, President of the Board of Directors of PortugalFoods said that "Organic Food Iberia will be an event that will give a boost to exports and to the national production of certified organic products. This should yield good results not only for the primary sector, but also for the industry. The fact that this fair is "Iberian" brings the two countries of the Peninsula closer together and further increases the fair's potential for success, making it attractive for international buyers. We are already familiar with the excellent work of Diversified in the organization of other fairs, so we are certain that this event will also be a success."

Carsten Holm, CEO of Diversified Communications UK, is delighted with the incredible support that the concept has received. "Following the suggestions of several companies that we know in Spain, we started talking with many of Spain's autonomous regions, as well as with relevant associations. Everyone has been incredibly open to the idea. We have a great international network that we intend to take advantage of, and we are looking forward to working with all interested parties to create a world class event for the organic sector in Spain and Portugal."