Agrilevante, returns in style
The march towards the seventh edition of the exhibition dedicated to agricultural mechanisation for the Mediterraen began in Bari on 13 April. The event promoted by FederUnacoma in partnership with Fiera del Levante, presented during a press conference, will be a great workshop for the development of primary economy
An exceptional parterre for the launch of the seventh edition of Agrilevante. The show dedicated to technologies for Mediterranean agriculture, to be held at the Bari exhibition centre from 5 to 8 October next, was first presented on 13 April at a press conference held at Ciheam, an international entity specialising in advanced agronomic training, with its Italian headquarters in Puglia's capital city. "Agrilevante is the place for technologies, however," FederUnacoma general manager Simona Rapastella told the press conference, "it is also the place for ideas and projects." The major October event - organised by FederUnacoma in partnership with Fiera del Levante, with the support of the Puglia Region's Agriculture Department, and in collaboration with the Municipality of Bari and AIA-ARA Puglia, the universities of Bari and Foggia, and Bari's Ciheam - is a major workshop for the development of the primary economy. Businesses and farmers from Mediterranean Europe, the Balkan countries, the Middle East, as well as North and sub-Saharan Africa, will be in Bari to learn about the most advanced technologies for arable crops, animal husbandry, fruit growing, and above all viticulture and olive growing, but also to examine the most topical political and economic issues and the development models that are envisaged for this vast region.
The technical depth of the show is highlighted not only by the presence of all the best mechanical production for agriculture and gardening, and by the sections specifically dedicated to robotics and the most advanced electronic systems, but also by the FederUnacoma competition for new products with high technological content. "The competition," noted Rapastella during the presentation, "rewards as Technical Innovations those models, selected by a jury of experts, that introduce completely new solutions or improve existing technologies, combining production efficiency with environmental sustainability and safety at work".
The exhibition is structured to cover not only traditional agricultural sectors, but also the livestock sector. This includes specific technologies for livestock breeding and a large area housing hundreds of valuable cattle, horses, sheep, goats and poultry. Together with the New Hall - it was explained at the conference - Halls 19 and 20 will be busy, while specific open-air areas will be dedicated to digital and robotic technologies and the trials of the 'Contoterzista Driver Trophy' competition promoted by Edagricole. The programme of conventions, meetings, and workshops, organised in cooperation with the University of Bari and Foggia, the Ciheam of Bari, and publishers in the agricultural and agro-mechanical sector, is expected to be very rich. Among the meetings with a technical content, the calendar already includes those dedicated to olive growing, typical Apulian crops, innovative crops for southern regions, and 4.0 applications specific to Mediterranean crops. In terms of policies for the sector, in-depth discussions are already planned on the new CAP, NRRP and RDP funding.
One of the salient themes of the seventh edition of Agrilevante is education and training, with the aim of identifying new professional roles and new paths for agriculture and mechanisation. Before the attending journalists and via streaming from the countries in the Basin, Ciheam Director Maurizio Raeli pointed out the central role played by the institute in the development of agricultural knowledge and technology. Training is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding renewed by Ciheam and FederUnacoma during the presentation of the Bari event. "For the third time, today we are signing the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between Federunacoma and Ciheam Bari, with the aim of promoting Italian know-how in mechanisation and technologies related also to the irrigation and precision agriculture sectors in third countries, where," explained Raeli, "food safety and Italian innovation can provide opportunities for development and employment."
An event like Agrilevante involves not only the Ente Fiera del Levante but the entire capital city. The great Mediterranean fair is a great challenge not only from an organisational point of view, but also on a cultural level," added the deputy mayor of Bari Eugenio Di Sciascio, "because at this historic moment, with a war on Europe's doorstep, the issue of food safety and production models takes on a new centrality. For an agricultural sector that must constantly progress, innovation is a natural process of evolution and renewal, regarding which it is necessary to propose a new approach. In this perspective - regional councillor for agriculture Donato Pentassuglia said at the end of the press conference - the Agrilevante exhibition must strengthen the role of agriculture as a driver for human development and as a factor for peace and solidarity among peoples."
