At the opening ceremony, Apostolou spoke about the importance of Freskon and how the conference has developed throughout recent years. The conference has turned into an important event for the Greek agricultural sector. According to Apostolou, the sector shouldn’t lose courage in the face of the challenges it is facing and should always keep up with current standards. In spite of the Russian embargo, Greece has made remarkable progress in the search for new markets. Apostolou said that the Greek ministry will help growers in rural areas improve their competitiveness. He also said he believes that these growers are to play a significant role in the recovery of the Greek economy.
Bert Barmans, General Director of Zespri Europe
The Freskon conference featured 191 exhibitors from Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and other countries. The event took place on a plot of over 12,500 square meters.
Alongside the Freskon exhibition, the Kiwi Congress took place as well. Topics for discussions at this congress ranged from technical aspects to challenges in the marketing of kiwis. Projections with regards to global developments and consumption in the coming years were discussed, along with new innovations in kiwi cultivation, plant protection and health benefits.
Aris Beis of Novacert LT
The Freskon conference was coordinated by Christos D. Katsanos, who is a renowned brand strategist and farm management consultant. One of the other speakers was Bert Narmans, General Director of Zespri Europe, who spoke about the importance of marketing kiwis and the benefits of focusing on one single fruit product. Other speakers included Giovanni Seganti of UNITEC, Dimitris Bikas of Bayer Hellas, Flavia Succi of Agrofresh and Klearkos Sarantidis of Kavala Corp.
Tassos Tzikas, President of TIF- Helexpo
As the first day wasn’t as crowded as the second, many exhibitors were able to discuss possible future partnerships with visitors and traders. Among the first time visitors, there were from UAE, Egypt, Poland and Scandinavian countries. The conference was also attended by a lot of cooperatives with delegations of associated farmers, such as growers of stone fruit, citrus and top fruit. This year’s edition also saw new exhibitors who are involved with tomatoes and leafy vegetables. While some of these exhibitors weren’t yet necessarily active as exporters, all of them attended Freskon hoping to find new partners and to introduce their products to the rest of Europe.
Author: Peter Duivenvoorde / Yzza Ibrahim
