Agrilevante, the "beacon" for Mediterranean agriculture

The 2025 edition of the international exhibition of agricultural machinery for the Mediterranean is underway at CIHEAM. A total of 75% of the available area has already been allocated. Operators and delegations from 40 countries are expected to attend. Partnerships with local bodies and institutions are being formed

The press conference held to open Agrilevante 2025, the international exhibition of machinery and technologies for Mediterranean agriculture, which will be held at the Bari Fair from 9 to 12 October and which promises to be a grand event, took place on 4 March at the CIHEAM in Valenzano (Bari).

A nearly sold out event. FederUnacoma (the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufaturer's Federation), - organizer of this biennial event now in its eighth edition - has already allocated 75% of the available exhibition space, having opened registrations only in January, and expects to be“sold out” in just a short while, with over 25,000 square meters of net space occupied by a total number of exhibiting industries no less than the 350 of the last edition, coming from 20 countries. “The technologies on display cover all types of goods, from tractors to operating machines, from equipment to components - explained the General Manager of FederUnacoma, Simona Rapastella, during the international press conference held this morning at the CIHEAM in Bari - but they all have a common denominator, Mediterranean agriculture, with its typical and superb products”. Arable crops, vineyards, orchards, horticultural production and livestock farming are present throughout the Mediterranean area and require new generation technologies, capable of making farms productive, preserving biodiversity and overcoming problems such as the lack of water resources or the particular structure of the soils that characterize vast areas of the basin.

New features in 2025. The exhibition, which is aimed at farmers, contractors, agricultural and agricultural mechanics technicians, and which attracts economic operators from Mediterranean Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and even sub-Saharan Africa - the 2023 event saw a total of 95,000 visitors, including more than 4,000 foreigners from 60 countries, while the official foreign delegations organized in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) saw operators from 27 countries - is introducing some important innovations this year. Alongside the traditional divisions and the Livestock Show case, which is organized in collaboration with ARA Puglia and which features livestock of the most prized breeds on display in the vast area in front of the New Pavilion, this year's event features a new Showcase called Levante Green, dedicated to gardening and green care machinery, and the new Extend area, dedicated to institutional bodies. There is also a so-called REAL Area, reserved for agricultural robotics with exhibitions and field demonstrations of robots and highly automated digital systems. “An exhibition of this level – stated Simona Rapastella – constitutes not only a promotional and commercial platform, but also a political and strategic one, offering national and local bodies, the university world and professional organizations opportunities for discussion on the most current issues”.

Collaboration with CIHEAM. The Agrilevante 2025 inauguration event was held in a place symbolic of technological innovation and expert training in agriculture, the Italian headquarters of CIHEAM (Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes), which is a point of reference for all countries in the Mediterranean basin. "CIHEAM Bari and FederUnacoma have built a solid collaboration, through numerous initiatives developed in various countries of the Mediterranean and beyond. CIHEAM Bari offers training, research and international cooperation activities that promote local economic development in rural areas by introducing innovations in the agricultural and environmental fields", said Deputy Director Biagio Di Terlizzi at the opening of the conference. “Together with FederUnacoma we promote partnerships in third countries in which - added Di Terlizzi - Italian technologies, through demonstrations and training of technicians, can contribute to improving productivity in settings where achieving food safety is strategic”.

The New Levante Fair is expanding. With this exhibition, the Bari Trade Fair proves itself to be an essential "hub" for the technological and commercial development of a vast area, which includes Southern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. “The collaboration undertaken with FederUnacoma represents a strategic objective for us. The joint efforts of exhibitors and companies at cultural events and conferences, and everything that this event represents, show us what a fundamental opportunity it is for the development of the Mediterranean”, said the president of the Trade Fair, Gaetano Frulli. “We, together with the Italian trade Agency (ICE), offer services and facilities, and make every effort to ensure that FederUnacoma finds everything it needs at our location. For the 2027 event we will provide a new pavilion, currently in the design phase and financed by the Region of Apulia, as part of the expansion of the Fair grounds. Our contribution also includes services and infrastructure with the intent for Agrilevante to become well-established as a stable and long-lasting biennial event. This is what we have to offer to support the growth and success of the event. I am sure that the 2025 Agrilevante event - added Frulli - will be important for our territory. Understanding the quality of the exhibitors and representatives, we also began to develop a specialized trade fair in the fruit and vegetable sector, attention to which was also generated through its connection with Agrilevante. I am sure that this year's trade fair will have everything it takes to be an even greater and higher value experience".

Strategic partnerships with the Region of Apulia and the City of Bari. “The city of Bari is pleased to host the latest Agrilevante exhibition at a moment in history in which the entire supply chain is called upon to deal with the effects and challenges of climate change, which in our latitudes means first and foremost a drastic reduction in water availability,” stated Elda Perlino, Councilor for Climate, Ecological Transition and the Environment of the City of Bari. “Agrilevante will be an opportunity to explore the latest industry developments, especially in an area like ours with its historical agricultural framework, and to bring the main players in the sector into dialogue – added the council member – keeping the focus high on the sustainability of processes, on food safety and on the forms of self-production that are increasingly encouraged, even on an urban scale”.

The primary sector's activities are in fact of strategic importance for the productive fabric of the city of Bari and, more generally, of a region like Apulia, which is distinguished by its strong drive towards investments in high-tech agro-mechanical systems. “We are in the midst of an ecological and digital transition, a revolution that sees agriculture at the center of European policies, whose underlying strategy is precisely that of moving in the direction of innovation. At present - said Luigi Trotta, director of Competitiveness and Agri-food Supply Chains of the Region of Apulia - high-tech solutions are already available, which need to be put to use to reduce the costs of agricultural enterprises and to reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment that go in the direction indicated by the rural development plan of Apulia, the national CAP plan and the European strategy". On the sidelines of the press conference, the Councilor for Agriculture, Water Resources, Water Protection and Hydraulic Authority, Donato Pentassuglia, stressed the great attention of paid by regional policies to the issue of technological transition. “Apulia, a land with a heavy dependence on agricultural work, has made giant steps in recent years in terms of innovation and modernization. Companies - commented Pentassuglia - thanks to targeted regional policies and strategies, in line with the CAP guidelines, are taking up the challenge of technological development in production processes for modern, sustainable and resilient agriculture". “Agrilevante is not only an important showcase for latest generation machinery and applications, but is also a place to share, compare and exchange awareness and knowledge of good practices, in a relevant segment such as precision agriculture. The exhibition – concluded the council member – is a highly anticipated event for technicians, professionals, and companies in the agricultural and forestry sectors. For this reason, as a Region, we believe it is important to welcome and support an event that further strengthens the leading role that agriculture in Apulia has at a national level and beyond".