Food Africa represents great synergy for Mac Fruit Attraction: president of MacFrut Italy
Cesena Fiera,the organizer of Macfrut— the fruit & vegetable professional fair in Italy—and IFEMA, the organiser of Fruit Attraction—the international trade show for the fruit and vegetable industry in Spain—have come to a collaborative agreement to create a new global brand for the fruit and vegetable sector—Mac Fruit Attraction—with the aim of developing professional industry events in strategic markets.This new platform aims at encouraging the positioning and international professional network of fruit and vegetable companies with direct access to new strategic markets, which will allow them to contact local operators and the area of influence.
Renzo Piraccini, the president of Macfrut Italy, talks about the targeted markets and his assessment of the situation.
How does Cesena Fiera help in promoting Italian companies in general?
The organizers of these industryleading events—Fruit Attraction, the international trade show for the fruit and vegetable industry in Spain, and Macfrut, the fruit & vegetable professional fair in Italy—are creating this new platform, which will encourage the positioning and international professional network of fruit and vegetable companies with direct access to new strategic markets, allowing them to contact local operators and the area of influence.This will turn Mac Fruit Attraction into a global brand with high international convening power that adapts to the particular needs of each market.
What are the advantages of participating in exhibitions under your umbrella?
Mac Fruit Attraction is organized by IFEMA and Cesena Fiera, two leading trade fair operators from the fruit and vegetable sector’s two most successful exporting countries, Spain and Italy. What’s more, we are responsible for the most important industry events— Fruit Attraction, the international trade show for the fruit and vegetable industry in Spain,and Macfrut,the fruit & vegetable professional fair in Italy. We are in an excellent position for exporting our know-how in the fruit and vegetable industry to the sector. Of course, alliances with local operators—in this case IFP—are also a guarantee of success.
How many Italian companies are participating in the upcoming Food Africa show?
The first edition, also held in Cairo, was attended by about 30 Italian companies—out of a total of about 300 participants—with 10,260 visitors from Africa and the Middle East.This trade fair was an opportunity not only for the apple industry, but also for introducing other fruit and vegetable products to new markets, with a special focus on companies specialising in technologies and packaging,of which Italy is the absolute global leader and is broadening its horizons in this field.
For this edition, we have leading companies in production, packaging, and machinery.
What is the trade value between Italy and Egypt and between Italy and Africa in general?
Egypt is an increasingly strategic market for Italy, especially for the apple industry. In fact, in just five years, Italy has seen its exports of apples rise from a remarkably low percentage to 16% of its total production. Egypt is the second end market for Italian apples, second only to the German market, which absorbs 36% of this Italian product. Numbers show that in 2011, Italy exported apples to Egypt at a value of $42m, whereas in 2015, it more than quadrupled the value of its exports, reaching $197m.
How do you asses both the African and the Egyptian markets?
In Cairo,we sent a message to European institutions on the role of the fruit and vegetable industry inAfrica’s development; in fact, the fruit and vegetable sector can significantly contribute to the development of African countries and of the Middle East. It can improve the living conditions of its inhabitants, therefore reducing migration flows to Europe. If Italian companies in the supply chain cooperate, they can play a key role in this process. Many countries in this region have now become important markets for European and Italian fruit and vegetable produce, and Mac Fruit Attraction, along with our partners of Feria de Madrid [IFEMA], is an integral part of this project.
How do you evaluate Italian and European participation in this year’s edition of the Food Africa Expo and Mac Fruit Attraction?
Good. Mac Fruit Attraction is a great platform for African countries and the Middle East.