"Fruit Attraction is an international fair held by one of the world's leading producers of fruit and vegetables, 60% of which is intended for export. We could say that the fair is mostly attended by Spanish companies, but which are also global players," explains Raúl Calleja, director of Fruit Attraction. "Their significance is such that many companies organise visits to their farms with customers who come to the fair, thus lengthening their visit by a few days."
According to the director of the event, the fact that so many suppliers, traders, exporters and re-exporters congregate at this fair makes it attractive to many producers and marketers from other countries in a key month like October.
"Spain is a fashionable destination for the global horticultural sector and is demonstrating that it is a reliable one. Just 6 years ago, 96% of our exports went to the EU, and now, despite the fact that we continue growing in this market, it represents a total of 90%, which means that we continue to diversify. We hope that Fruit Attraction will further contribute in this regard," he points out.
Boom in relations between Spain and Latin America
According to Raúl Calleja, "especially in this last year, countries like Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina and Peru have been increasing their presence at Fruit Attraction, both as exhibitors and visitors. Among other reasons, this is due to the rise in consumption of tropical products like avocado and mango. Latin America is starting to see Spain as a new gateway to Europe in the global fruit and vegetable trading market."
"We expect to see the result of our promotions in China"
Last year, the fair received a large delegation from China attracted by Extremadura's stonefruit sector, making it possible to make great progress in the negotiation process to open the way for the export of these products and giving us clues to the results of the promotions of Fruit Attraction in the Chinese market. We expect to see the results of these promotions in the next edition, which will start in just a few days.
New Smart Agro area
This year, there are again new features, such as the Smart Agro area, located in Hall 3, which will serve to showcase smart technologies intended to increase the productivity of farms. The visitors will have a chance to see the latest in robotics, automation, software, etc., designed to improve the cost efficiency of the entire production chain.
"We want it to be a global showcase of new products"
Our goal is for the fair to serve as a platform for the closing of business deals and supply agreements with distribution channels, as this justifies its annual celebration. But also for it to be a big stage for global innovation.
We just recently closed the registration period for participation in the Pasarela Innova, where we see that the sector is clearly committed to surprising the market, especially with new fruit and vegetable varieties, new packaging formats and processed products.
In parallel, we believe that Fruit Attraction also generates a lot of knowledge for the sector, thanks to the technical seminars and conferences like Grape Attraction or Fruit Retail, among others.
Almost everyone who tries Fruit Attraction comes again
Something which also contributes to the fair's growth year after year is the satisfaction of its exhibitors. "95% of those who try Fruit Attraction come again," affirms Raúl Calleja. "Fruit Attraction is becoming an important date in the calendar for operators in the sector, as it offers a great combination of leisure and business," he adds.