The newest edition of Fruit Logistica will be held in less than a month in Berlin, with the prospect of a recovery to pre-pandemic participation levels. Both the Spanish participation and Latin America's presence remain stable, while there's growth in the exhibition space reserved for organic companies, as well as for auxiliary industry-related technology designed to make agriculture more efficient, both in terms of productivity and water use. The organization has already announced the ten finalists of the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award, and one of them is the Spanish company Anecoop.
"This year, we've had less time to prepare, since the last edition was postponed to April due to the pandemic," said Silvia de Juanes, Official Representative of Messe Berlin in Spain, Andorra, and Gibraltar. "However, the prospects are very good since we hope to see pre-pandemic levels of participation, following a 2022 edition with 70% participation as a result of sanitary restrictions in various countries. This recovery was already seen in October at the latest Fruit Attraction held in Madrid."
According to Silvia de Juanes, both fairs complement each other well. "Some may see them as competing events, but the truth is that, since they are four months apart, they are held at different strategic times for the products. In many cases, the Spanish fair takes place at the beginning of the sales campaign, and in Berlin, exhibitors have the opportunity to meet with their international clients and share impressions. "We expect the Spanish participation to remain stable at the next Fruit Logistica. Latin America is betting almost everything on Fruit Logistica in Europe, which, after the United States, is its main market due to its economic power, especially in the case of Germany."
According to the Spanish representative of the fair, the greatest growth in exhibitor participation is being observed in the auxiliary industry related to post-harvest, greenhouse technology, automation, fertilizers, logistics, and above all, in the efficient use of water. There is also a growing presence of companies producing and marketing organic products.
"The most booming exhibition area is undoubtedly that of Smart Agri, and it is clear that climate change is causing drought in many producing areas and it has become a cause for concern for the sector, and the same can be said of the management of production costs. In fact, a third of the companies taking part in Start-up Day at Fruit Logistica are involved in water use optimization. And for yet another year, we are seeing more subscriptions from organic farming companies."
According to Silvia de Juanes, Fruit Logistica also stands out for being a stage to showcase innovations on a global scale. More than 80 applications have been submitted for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award, out of which only ten nominations have been accepted by a multidisciplinary jury under very strict selection criteria.
"There are ten innovations nominated, but all of them are spectacular! This year, Spain is represented by Anecoop's Brocomole, an innovative vegetable spread made with 97% fresh broccoli and avocado. See here the list of the ten nominated innovations. It will be up to the industry to decide which is the winning entry. Also, Fruit Logistica will once again offer its Spotlight space, where exhibiting companies will be able to showcase their latest innovations to visitors to the fair.
As the largest global knowledge platform in the fruit and vegetable sector, it's also worth mentioning Fruit Logistica's Logistic Hub, which focuses on the need to improve logistics environmentally and ethically. Sustainability will be a common theme for many of the conferences that will be given at the fair.
Restrictions in pandemic times led to a boom in the use of online formats that, according to Silvia Juanes, are here to stay. "On Fruit Logistica's online platform, each exhibitor and visitor will have the chance to create their own online profile to stay connected with each other. Before, as a visitor, you could only contact exhibitors, but now it is also possible to connect with other visitors and find out who is attending the fair. This is a real revolution that offers a whole new range of possibilities. In addition to the use of the chat, participants will be able to watch all the conferences taking place at the fair on demand, as there is not always time for everything while in between appointments."