The relationship between Macfrut and the Chinese market has grown closer since Macfrut cooperated with Asia Fruit Logistica in 2017. The previous session of Mac Fruit Attraction China welcomed 31 Italian companies to participate in the exhibition and display their expertise in areas such as fruit and vegetable export, pre- and post-harvest technologies, packaging, transport/distribution, water management (irrigation, water treatment), seeds, and technological installations. The exhibition attracted specialists from The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Japan, France, Egypt, Australia, the USA, China, Israel, Iran, New Zealand, Poland, Brazil, Sudan, Malaysia, Kenya, Korea, Chile, Germany, and Denmark. Participants filled out a questionnaire which showed that 88% of them were satisfied with the exhibition.
Renzo Piraccini, president of Macfrut, explained that "the overwhelming success of the previous exhibition encouraged them to organize another session, as China must become a priority for Italian companies in that industry: first, Italy is a world leader in the areas of fruit and vegetable related technologies and packaging, and China is in need of expertise in both areas; second, Italy is only able to export kiwifruit and citrus to China because of strict quarantine regulations. The sheer size of the Chinese market makes it one of the most important target markets. It is estimated that there are more than 300 million middle- to upper-class consumers in China with a growing interest in high-quality products. These consumers are particularly interested in agricultural products, and they are fascinated by products "made in Italy".
The second session of the Mac Fruit Attraction China will take place on November 21-23 in hall 2H of the National Conference Center (Shanghai). The main sponsor is Horti China, and they will create the "Italian Exhibition Area of Mac Fruit Attraction China" in close cooperation with the flagship of European fruit and vegetable industry, "the Italian international technology, and fruit and vegetable exhibition specialist Macfrut". Together they will create a large-scale platform for supply chain and trade connections in the fruit and vegetable industry in China and abroad.