Macfrut, 40th edition inaugurated

60,000 square metres of exhibition area, up 35% compared to last year (two more pavilions); 50% more foreign exhibitors, accounting for 38% of the total, 1,500 top international buyers: these are some of the record numbers of the 40th edition of Macfrut, the international fruit and vegetable show, inaugurated this morning and scheduled until Friday 5 May at Rimini Expo Center. An event with an increasingly international focus, with South America as a partner and protagonist in an entire pavilion, Mexico and Saudi Arabia exhibiting for the first time, Egypt present with a maxi stand with 22 companies, a pavilion dedicated to Africa with 19 countries and the return of China with 32 companies, for the first time at an agri-food fair since Covid.  Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut, is satisfied with this record edition. "Today we are inaugurating a turning point edition for Macfrut and more generally for the fresh produce industry: we have achieved extraordinary results, the result of a great teamwork. We have forgotten how good we are in Italy when we work together. It is a small miracle what we have achieved with Macfrut, a miracle of which we should all be proud; the presence together of the three organizations of the agricultural world (Confagricultura, CIA, Coldiretti) comforts us in the realization of an event that is up to the standards of this sector".  Matteo Zoppas, President of ICE Agency, focused on the sector's weight in foreign trade. “According to 2022 data, about 60 billion exports come from the agri-food sector and 10% of these, about 5.6 billion, come from the fruit and vegetable sector. This figure confirms Italy as the third country at European level and the tenth at global level, with an export share of 2.8%. These are important results, especially given the last two years marked by global upheavals such as the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. As the ICE Agency, we are delighted to collaborate with this important event. Our role here, in tune with the fair, is to give visibility and prominence to the internationalisation of the sector. And we will continue to work together to consolidate Italy's position on the international agrifood scene and to generate new visibility opportunities for our companies”.