Italy is looking to strengthen its relationship with Venezuela through Macfrut - the presentation of the 2019 edition of the fair in Bogotà was the perfect occasion for president Renzo Piraccini to visit a few producers, the city's wholesale markets as well as a few supermarkets.
Renzo Piraccini during a visit to Procoaven
"We visited the Procoaven PO, which gathers 15 producers. It owns 15 hectares of Physalis, called Uchuva (bladder cherries) by the locals, and the fruit is exported to the Netherlands and Germany via a Bogotà trader."
Procoaven
"Crops are irrigated with a drip system and feature 2000 plants per hectare producing 15 kg each per productive cycle (which starts 6 months after transplants and lasts 18 months). Fruits are harvested weekly and placed in punnets to be exported or remain loose if they are dried."
Employees at work at Procoaven
The association also processes potatoes and onions for the domestic market. It employs 34 people at a cost of around $10 a day per worker. Producers are paid every 4 weeks depending on market trends.
The Macfrut delegation also visited Frumag, a group of six producers growing 20,000 plants of Gulupa and Granadilla, two sorts of passion fruit, and squash on 16 hectares. It employs 32 people, 20 of which are women.
A Gulupa fruit cultivated by Frumag
"They sell their fruit to a trader that exports it to Europe. They will attend Macfrut as they aim at selling to Europe directly."
On 21st February 2019, a meeting promoted by Unioncamere regionale with the support of Regione Emilia-Romagna was held at the Bogotà Chamber of Commerce. The objective was to foster trading relations between Italian and Colombian businesses also thanks to the next edition of Macfrut (Fiera di Rimini, 8th-10th May 2019).
Frumag
With over 9 million tons of fresh produce and 2,000,000 tons exported, Colombia holds a leading position in the fresh produce sector. The segment is growing and the South-American country needs technology and packaging to increase its production standards as well as the competitiveness of its exports.
Macfruit plays a key role thanks to its internationalization project supporting Italian businesses. The meeting in Bogotà lay the foundations for a partnership between Cesena Fiera (which organizes Macfrut) and Corferias with an eye to Expoagrofuturo, to be held in Medellin from 22nd to 24th September 2019.
Macfrut helped establish many partnerships over the past few years: with the French from Angers for the International Asparagus Days and with the Spaniards of Fiera Madrid for Mac Fruit Attraction in Egypt and China.
Contacts: 
Cesena Fiera
Via Dismano 3845
47522 Cesena (FC) - Italy
Tel.: +39 0547 317435
Fax: +39 0547 318431
Email: info@macfrut.com
Website: www.macfrut.com