Macfrut 2024, the international showcase for the fresh produce supply chain, kicked off today at the Rimini Expo Centre. The event, which will last until May 10, counts with 1,400 global exhibitors representing the entire supply chain, along with thematic salons, and 100 events covering trends and the current state of the sector, as well as a double test field of about 3,000 square meters on fruit and vegetable innovation.

Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut, opened the day.

"We are inaugurating a record edition today, the only one that brings together the entire sector. This fair, in addition to business, adds knowledge, so much so that if you want to know the future of fruits and vegetables, this is where you must be. It is this format that makes us unique and sets us apart," Piraccini said. 

The foreign presence is strong with 40% of exhibitors coming from abroad, making Macfrut the most international agrifood event in Italy, joined by 1,500 top buyers thanks to the support of ITA – Italian Trade Agency, the event said in a release.

The international partner area is the Arabian Peninsula, represented by around 100 buyers. The regional partner is Puglia with its production of excellent table grapes, the symbolic product of the 41st edition of the fair.

The protagonists of the three-day event are fruit and vegetables, a central sector in Italian agribusiness. Exports of fresh and canned fruit and vegetables in 2023 reached 11.6 billion euros, 5.7 of which came from fresh produce. A total of 300 thousand farms in Italy are involved, covering 1.3 million hectares with a production of about 24 million tons of fruits and vegetables (source: Ismea).

An international Macfrut

A distinctive feature of this 41st edition of Macfrut is its strong international character, with almost half of all exhibitors coming from four Continents.

Africa is represented by 400 exhibitors from 24 countries. In the case of some countries like Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Namibia, and Tongo it is their first time at the fair. 

Another important area is the South American Continent thanks to participants from Chile, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina.

The Arabian Peninsula said present with 100 buyers from that area with the presence also of Emirates SkyCargo for business opportunities and logistics hub in the region. On the new entry front, we find India, also present with about 50 top buyers, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Brazil and Argentina, while in the European sphere important is the presence of 22 wholesalers from the two main markets of Spain (Madrid and Barcelona).

Also on the international front, 13 AICS offices (Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development) are present out of the agency's 19 global offices.

Table grapes and thematic salons

Macfrut is characterized as a content fair about industry trends and tendencies with specific thematic focuses together with top experts, researchers, and global players from all over the world.

Table grapes are the symbolic product of this 41st edition, at the center of the Macfrut Table Grape Symposium, the World Symposium that during the three days of the fair attracts top experts and major global players to tap in on research, market trends, production trends, product innovation, and business strategies.

On the salons front, all coordinated by a team of experts, we find the Biosolutions International Event with some 70 exhibitors, making Macfrut the most important European event regarding natural products for plant defense, nutrition, and biostimulation.

The Plant Nursery area is dedicated to the nursery supply chain, which also hosts the International Rootstocks Symposium (IRS). Spices & Herbs Global Expo is dedicated to spices, herbs, and medicinal plants.

Pianeta Rosso focuses on the tomato supply chain, and the Acqua Campus on water-saving innovations and technologies. New additions include Innovation Hub For Healthy Food, on sustainable processing products and technologies for the production of foods with high nutritional value, and the Agrivoltaic Show on the opportunities offered by photovoltaic energy generation to complement agricultural production.

Present at the fair is a double trial field of about 3,000 square meters divided into two pavilions: one dedicated to fruit growing, the other to above-ground, market, and industrial horticulture and mechanization.