Fruit Attraction confirms its position as the world’s leading event for the fruit and vegetable sector

Fruit Attraction 2022 concluded its 14th edition on 6 Octoberwith excellent results, described by the participants as very positive since it opened itsdoors on Tuesday 4th. Over the three days, a total of 89,535 professionals from 137countries attended the event, which was the largest in its history.The fair, organised by IFEMA MADRID and FEPEX, with Andalusia as the Guest Region,registered a participation of 1,740 exhibitors from 57 countries, and an occupation ofmore than 58,300 net square metres of fruit and vegetables spread over 8 pavilions ofthe exhibition centre. This represents an area growth of 42% compared to the 2021edition, and 4% compared to prepandemic levels in 2019. The figures have turned Madridinto the fruit and vegetable capital of the world as well as ratifying Fruit Attraction as akey instrument for global fruit and vegetable marketing with the capacity to promoteworldwide exports in the sector.

International participation has grown strongly, representing 35% of the surface area andwith exhibitors from 57 countries. European presence is noteworthy, with a significantoccupation from Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the UnitedKingdom and Belgium, in addition to the increase in participation from the Americas, fromcountries such as Ecuador, the United States, Chile and Colombia, and from Africa.

One of the aspects most highly valued by the attendees was the quality andprofessionalism of the international visitors from 137 countries , who represented 40%of the total number of attendees. Once again this year, the largest number of visitorscame from Europe, especially from Italy, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, the UnitedKingdom and Germany. The biggest increase was in Latin America, where growth hasbeen recorded in countries such as Peru, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador,Argentina and Costa Rica, among others.

Fruit Attraction has also provided participants with a platform for international promotionand expansion with the ‘International Guest Programme’, financed by the fair, incollaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and ICEX, which attracted 669 large buyers,retail purchasing managers, importers and wholesalers from 65 countries to Madrid. In thiscontext, the ‘Guest Importing Country Programme’ also stands out, this year counting onCanada, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.

In terms of Spain, Fruit Attraction 2022 was attended by all the autonomous communitiesexcept the Balearic Islands. With more than 38,000 square metres of exhibition space, itssuccess is mainly due to the great interest of Spanish fruit and vegetable production ininternational marketing, precisely in a key month for campaign planning. In total, therewere 861 Spanish exhibitors, with Andalusia having the largest number of companies (200), followed by the Region of Valencia (173), Murcia (117), Catalonia (101), and Madrid (76).

There were also notable participations from Aragon, with 39 exhibitors; Extremadura (36),La Rioja (25), Castilla La-Mancha (24), Castilla y León (20), as well as Navarre, the BasqueCountry, Galicia, the Canary Islands, Cantabria and Asturias.

Once again, Fresh Produce, the exhibition area for fruit and vegetable producers andtraders, was the most represented segment, accounting for 72% of the offer. However,this year’s edition also saw a notable increase of 57% in the Fresh Food Logistics area, aswell as in Smart Agro, with an increase of around 99%.

In the field of innovation, Fruit Attraction hosted a new edition of The Innovation Hub withthe exhibition of a total of 46 products and services. Along the same lines, the InnovationHub Prize was awarded to Surinver in the Fresh Produce category, Syngenta in the F&VIndustry category and Granada La Palma in the Sustainability and Commitment Actionscategory, each of which received 2,000 euros.

A full programme of conferences made Fruit Attraction the knowledge centre for thesector, with 3 congresses and 84 presentations characterised by the great diversity ofcontent, as well as the high level of the participants and speakers. Some of the highlightsincluded the 3rd Fresh Food Logistics Summit, the Biofruit Congress, Biotech Attraction2022 and the 6th Grape Attraction Congress, and other sessions such as Public fundinglines for expenditure and investment in research and innovation in the fruit and vegetablesector; and the New Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products:complex, unrealistic and with a direct impact on European agriculture.

The fair was the setting for the prize-giving ceremony for the winner of the second FruitAttraction Podcast Contest: #agroinspiration stories, in support of new communicationformats within the agri-food sector. The winner was Huertas, the origin from Cricket.Fruit Attraction once again promoted the donation of fruit and vegetables from exhibitorsfor the Madrid Food Bank, which managed to collect 39,000 kilos of fruit and vegetableproducts, distributed among 565 charities registered in the Community of Madrid, whichserve 186,000 people every day.

Organised by IFEMA MADRID and FEPEX, Fruit Attraction 2023 will be held from 3 to 5 October at the fairgrounds.

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