The first day of Macfrut, the fruit and vegetables and machine fair in Rimini, has finished. Opinions on the busyness of the fair and the number of visitors varied. Depending on which hall they were in, stall holders believed it was either busier or quieter than last year. There seemed to be more people in the halls close to the entrance, in particular on the first day. A big difference to Macfrut 2015 was that visitors were surprised by the beautiful presentation, with both domestic and foreign fruit and vegetables from different suppliers at the entrance. The big news is that the next edition of Macfrut will take place from 10-12 May 2017.
Macfrut 2016 in Rimini.
The visitors arrive.
Foreign stall holders
Despite Italy being self sufficient in many products, there are still plenty of fruits and vegetables that the country doesn't produce itself, or that they don't have enough of all year round - ample opportunities for exporters. From Kenyan bean growers to banana exporters from the Dominican Republic, there were more foreign stall holders again this year. According to the organisers, more than 20%. It is often said that the fair becomes more international every year - and there is a small growth - but the main language to be heard and most of the stall holders are still Italian.
Various fruit and vegetables are presented colourfully upon arrival at the fair hall.
Summer fruit and coconuts!
The Marlene apples are in a handy bowl.
UniCredit Award
UniCredit handed out two awards yesterday for results achieved in the area of internationalisation. Two companies that participated in the Macfrut won: Turatti and SunWorld. They received their awards yesterday during the Italian dinner. Click here for photos and the article on our Italian FreshPlaza
SunWorld receives the prize.
Salads and other domestic products
Italian fruit and vegetable consumption has risen. In the first five months of 2016 consumption rose by 1% in volume and 2% in value. The increase was mainly for fruit. Products that do especially well are cherries and asparagus. A lot of domestic products can also be seen at Macfrut: from potatoes to olives. There are also quite a few suppliers of cut vegetables and salads, promoted in a colourful manner. This year there is even a special course for the fresh-cut-suppliers, where they can learn more about safety and quality.
Peru: growing interest in Italy
This year Peru was Macfrut's partner country. Compared to last year, Peru has a larger stall and there are more exporters present. Important Peruvian products are artichokes and asparagus, but a lot of other products are also grown such as bananas, avocados, grapes and citrus. There is a growing interest in the Italian market and this was confirmed by the exporters present. In the last five years an average annual growth of 15% was visible in the trade from Peru to Italy.
The fair will still be held in Rimini on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 September. On Monday 19 September we will present the Italian and international photo report on AGF and FreshPlaza.
