The Fruit Attraction 2021 fair started this Tuesday with 1,300 companies from 44 countries in 42,000 square meters of fruit and vegetable offering spread across eight pavilions of the fairgrounds and accredited professional visitors from 118 countries, Ifema reported in a statement.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, inaugurated this Tuesday the thirteenth Fruit Attraction, organized by Ifema and FEPEX from October 5 to 7.
With an international representation of more than 31 percent, the notable growth of Latin America stands out, as well as the increase in companies from Italy and France. Likewise, the volume of registered visitors is at very similar levels to the last call, with professionals from 118 countries, the organization has noted.
The Fresh Produce segment is once again the one with the greatest representation, with more than 65% of Fruit Attraction’s offer, which in turn has a significant weight from the Auxiliary Industry, with 28%.
The offer is completed by companies specialized in logistics, mobility, and cold chain management for fresh and frozen foods, which will exhibit at Fresh Food Logistics. It also highlights a very important growth in the area of Biotec Attraction and Smart Agro.
Fruit Attraction allows us to offer participants a platform for international promotion and expansion. In this sense, Ifema, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and ICEX, is once again making a significant investment in the International Guest Program, which attracts more than 600 buyers and traders from 67 countries to Madrid, chiefs retail purchasing, importers and wholesalers invited from all over the world.
Added to this program is the Guest Importing Country initiative, which has the support of ICEX, with Brazil, Ukraine, South Korea and Belarus as protagonists on this occasion. This is an action that will favor commercial relations between the countries of the European Union and these two non-EU markets, supported by a complete program of round tables, guided tours of the fair, and B2B sessions.
Fruit Attraction incorporates new features, among which Fresh Food Logistics stands out, the new sector platform serving logistics, transportation and cold chain management for fresh foods, which will be located in Hall 6.
With the aim of promoting innovation, research, technology and digitalization as fundamental keys to future growth, Pavilion 5 will bring together the three areas of solutions and services related to innovation in the agricultural sector: Biotech Attraction Smart Agro and Smart Water&Energy .
Ecoorganic Market, a specialized area for the marketing and export of organic products, located in pavilion 8, and Fresh Produce and Auxiliary Industry, whose offer will be distributed throughout the fair, will also be promoted.
The Innovation Hub, in the core of pavilions 8 and 10, and Innova Forum are the areas dedicated to innovation and business developments in the sector. In this area, the fair hosts the Innovation Hub Awards.
The great festival of the sector includes the Factory Chef section, which represents the gastronomic space within Fruit Attraction with demonstrations and showcookings.
The complete program of technical conferences makes the Fair the great center of knowledge of the fruit and vegetable sector, with sessions characterized by the great diversity of content.
The Fruit Forum spaces, located in pavilions 3, 4 and 6, will be the setting for conferences, presentations, round tables and conferences of enormous interest for the sector. Among some of the large congresses that will be held, some stand out such as Biofruit Congress, which will focus its fourth edition on the most sustainable demand.
Within the framework of Fresh Food Logistics, Fresh Food Logistics The Summit will be held, organized by Ifema and Alimarket, which will address the cold market.
Sustainability will also play a leading role with sessions such as ‘Innovating towards greater sustainability in the packaging of fruits, vegetables and vegetables’, organized by PACKNET, the Spanish Packaging and Packaging Technology Platform.
The offer is completed by the presentations of the Innova Forum, an initiative promoted by Fruit Attraction to give greater visibility and recognition to the effort and investment in R&D&i of the participating companies.
And the fair will be the scene of the awarding of the prize to the winner of the first Fruit Attraction Podcast Contest: stories of #agroinspiration, in support of new communication formats within the agri-food sector. In addition, the XI APAE and Fruit Attraction Journalism Awards will be presented, the latter dedicated to international media of recognized prestige in the fruit and vegetable sector.
In parallel, the fair will bring together the entire fruit and vegetable community through the Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect platform, a digital tool that enhances and complements the in-person event with new functionalities, reinforcing each other.
Security
In relation to the measures adopted by the fair and Ifema to guarantee the safety of all professionals, a strict protocol has been developed that contemplates all the necessary measures to organize the flow of attendees and their mobility.
Thus, capacity controls have been established and the corridors within the pavilions have been significantly expanded. At the same time, digital registration is incorporated to eliminate direct contact, along with the latest technologies for health safety and especially for air renewal in pavilions.