The 41st edition of the international fruit and vegetable trade fair will take place from 8 to 10 May 2024 at the Rimini Expo Centre (Italy). The international focus will be on the Arabian Peninsula, the table grape as an emblematic product and, among the new features, the Macfrut Academy, an agrovoltaic exhibition and the Innovation Hub.
An international focus on the Arabian Peninsula, the birth of the Macfrut Academy, two new pavilions and three dynamic areas. There are many new features at Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable sector that will be held at the Rimini Expo Centre from 8 to 10 May 2024. The 41st edition confirms the distinctive element of this exhibition, unique on the international scene, by representing all the links in the fruit and vegetable chain. Macfrut has three strong points: Business (central element of the trade fair proposal); Knowledge (“certified” thanks to the presence of a team of experts who coordinate the different sectors and guarantee the quality of the content of the events on the latest innovations); Networking, with meetings organised by the fair, thanks to a team that schedules hundreds of B2B meetings with buyers from all over the world (1,500 in the last edition) for exhibitors, thanks to the fundamental support of Ice-Agenzia (Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalisation of Italian companies).
Macfrut Academy is born
Macfrut's distinctive character is further enhanced by the launch of Macfrut Academy, an innovative digital platform that will be open to exhibitors and visitors to the fair throughout the year. Through video lessons given by experts, topics related to certain sectors will be covered in depth in order to bring industry professionals up to date on the latest developments. The video lessons will last about 30 minutes, divided into several modules, available in four languages (English, Spanish, French and Italian) in a special section of the Macfrut website. The first class is scheduled for Thursday 9 November (at 5 pm Italian time) and will focus on the potato supply chain, from harvesting to packaging; the second is scheduled for Thursday 14 December (also at 5 pm Italian time) and will focus on the European avocado and mango market. The content is free upon registration.
International emphasis on the Arabian Peninsula
The launch of Macfrut 2024 in the capital of Qatar is part of a plan that pays particular attention to the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, the last presentations of the fair have been held in this area: the 2022 edition was held in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and the 2023 edition in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia. This is a strategic area for Italian fruit and vegetables, which have increased their exports from 68 thousand tonnes in 2020 to 97 thousand tonnes last year (+42.61 TP3T). Turnover has also increased, from 73 million euros to 113 million last year (+54.71 TP3T), according to data from CSO Italy. The Arabian Peninsula imports 70% of the fresh fruit and vegetables it consumes and Italy can play a central role in this, both due to the quality of its production and its favourable maritime logistics.
At this year's Macfrut, the Arabian Peninsula will be the focus of international attention, hosting the main importers and retail chains in the area at the fair, as well as organising events and meetings during the three days of the exhibition.
Grape gives tavola symbol of Macfrut 2024
Italy is the leading European country in table grape production, with about 1 million tonnes. Macfrut is dedicating an event of international importance to this excellent product, the Macfrut Table Grape Symposium, an event dedicated to operators in the supply chain of this product, which attracts leading experts and players from around the world for several days to discuss four main themes: International Symposium with technical-scientific contributions and companies; field visits to experience first-hand the technical advances; exhibition area with the main world producers in the sector; networking activities. The coordinator of the Macfrut Table Grape Symposium will be Bruno Mezzetti, from the Università Politecnica delle Marche.
Exhibitions: innovate and confirm
What sets Macfrut apart are the numerous thematic pavilions coordinated by teams of experts that make this three-day fair unique on the scene.
Starting with the new features, there will be the launch of the Innovation Hub For Healthy Food, an exhibition dedicated to sustainable products and processing technologies for the production of functional foods with high nutritional value. Organised in collaboration with the Department of Agri-Food Sciences and Technologies (DISTAL) of the University of Bologna and the Cesena Campus of Food Sciences, the exhibition is dedicated to innovative fruit and vegetable products and includes thematic workshops and demonstration activities by world-renowned researchers and leading companies.
Another important novelty concerns the first edition of the Agrivoltaic Exhibition by KEY, held in collaboration with KEY – The Energy Transition Expo; a creation of IEG – Italian Exhibition Group, leader in Italy and the Mediterranean basin in technologies and solutions for the energy transition. The new fair will be a complete showcase of the opportunities offered by the possibility of integrating agricultural production with photovoltaic energy generation, which represents a huge opportunity for the country to achieve the decarbonisation objectives of the Italian economy.
Among the confirmed events, Biosolutions International Event returns, the exhibition dedicated to natural products for the defence, nutrition and biostimulation of plants. A benchmark initiative to discover the latest developments in the sector that includes four types of proposals: an exhibition part (more than 50 companies were present at the last edition); an International Congress on the theme "What Biosolutions to use to obtain quality cherries?; Biosolutions Innovation Award, prize for the most innovative products; consumer information and current news. The area is coordinated by Camillo Gardini of Agri2000.
An immersive journey into the world of tomatoes to discover how to enhance this product is the theme of the second edition of Pianeta Rosso, a meeting with all the players in the sector. Through tests with buyers, the purchasing process begins with the consumer experience, in a journey that ends in a tunnel full of images, videos, smells and flavours. The space is coordinated by Roberto Della Casa of Agroter.
Innovation in the nursery sector is the central theme of the Plant Nursery area, a specialist exhibition for nurserymen, breeders, producers, technicians and researchers in a strategic sector for the development of modern horticulture. New this year include an International Symposium on genetic innovations in the rootstock sector, with the latest innovations in apple, pear, stone fruit and citrus. In addition, there will be seminars on key topics such as commercial strategies for the development of patents, the harmonisation of certification systems and a series of open days dedicated to excellence in nurseries. The exhibition coordinator is Stefano Lugli, from SL Fruit Service.
Spice & Herbs Global Expo is the only exhibition dedicated entirely to the cultivation and first-processing technologies of medicinal plants and their primary derivatives, and to the development of the international market for spices and plant raw materials. New offerings for the 2024 edition will include the first edition of the “botanical by-products gallery”, a showcase of highly innovative functional products from the agricultural supply chain. There will also be a dedicated space
technologies for the processing of herbs, a journey to discover edible flowers, products in high demand in the catering industry and by consumers, as well as the return of the Fippo Forum, which is now in its eleventh edition. This space is coordinated by FIPPO, Erboristeria Domani and Cannamela.
Another confirmed event is Acqua Campus, in collaboration with ANBI (National Association of Consortia for the Management and Protection of Land and Irrigation Water) and CER (Emiliano-Romagna Canal), dedicated to water-saving innovations and technologies. A test field will be set up in the exhibition halls to learn first-hand about the most advanced water management technologies applied to horticulture, accompanied by meetings and guided technical tours.
There will also be other dynamic spaces at the fair dedicated to table grapes and soilless cultivation. They will be coordinated by Dr. Luciano Trentini, an expert in the sector.
