On 6 and 7 September, Asparagus Handels Ltd once again invited visitors to Interaspa in Sandhatten, Lower Saxony. The two-day trade event for the asparagus and berry sector takes place every two years and has established itself over the years, especially in northern German circles.
Exhibitors primarily include variety breeders, plant propagators and numerous suppliers and service providers in the fields of agricultural, plant and packaging technology, tunnel and greenhouse construction, fertilizers and plant protection products, as well as software and harvest monitoring systems. Despite the lower number of visitors, both the exhibitors and the organizers are looking back on a successful event.
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Outdoor area with demonstration offers added value
Interaspa once began as a modest agricultural trade fair with machine and field demonstrations. From this modest start, over the years an important meeting place for the northern German asparagus and berry sector developed. Nowadays, the fair counts two exhibitor tents as well as an extensive outdoor area with ongoing machine demos. "This unique combination, as well as the diverse range of exhibitors, continues to distinguish Interaspa. For us, the fair is also a great opportunity to talk to growers who are not otherwise represented at any trade fairs," says one exhibitor.
Overcoming personnel shortages & more efficient processes
It is well known that production costs in fruit and vegetable production have risen over the past two years. Automation and digitalization are urgently needed to reduce personnel costs, certainly in view of the minimum wage increase, and to cope with the increasing shortage of staff and skilled workers. This year's trade show highlights included autonomous harvesting robots for asparagus and soft fruit, automated asparagus bed formers, and highly automated peeling, packaging, and weighing technology for a wide variety of products. Despite multiple crises and significant cost increases, there still seems to be a willingness to innovate and invest in the industry.
Variety breeding: late instead of early varieties
For the recognized breeding houses and plant propagators, Interaspa is also a great opportunity to put new asparagus and berry varieties in the spotlight. In the asparagus sector in particular, the market seems to be trending toward late rather than early varieties. "There is nowhere near the choice in the late sector as there is in the early and medium sectors. We see this as an interesting task for us variety breeders," says Bejo Samen Ltd, which has now developed Sirius, a promising new late variety.
Packaging: Renewable raw materials are in vogue
Another development can be seen in the area of product packaging. Even though product packaging is not necessarily one of the primary focal points of the trade show, the suppliers present took the opportunity to present interesting solutions. In this context, the market seems to continue to trend in the direction of renewable raw materials, whether (solid) cardboard, cellulose or cotton.
For more information:
www.interaspa.de
