Fieragricola 2016, a positive balance
The 112th edition of the Verona event was attended by 130,000 visitors with an increasing share of foreign operators. One thousand companies and an area of approximately 50,000 square meters are the numbers that reinforce the role of the Verona event in the national and international trade fair scene. Among the initiatives for the monitoring of foreign markets there was also a "Focus" dedicated to Africa
The 2016 edition of Fieragricola, held in Verona from 3 to 6 February, ended with a positive balance. During the four days of the event, 130,000 people visited the fairgrounds for a “full immersion” in technological innovations applied to agriculture, particularly in the fields of mechanical engineering and applied electronics. This edition, the 112th in the long history of the Verona event, recorded an increase in the presence of professionals and quality of operators, arriving not only from the northern regions but also from Central and Southern Italy. More significant was the presence of foreign operators, who reached a share of 15% of total visitors.
One thousand exhibitors put on display their technologies and 600 cattle were the protagonists of the breeding section.
The trade fair was held in nine halls and two outside areas, for a total area of 50,000 square meters and displayed technologies and products for each agricultural sector, from livestock to renewable energies, from seeds to products for crop protection, from cultivation systems for vineyards and orchards to the treatment of green areas and forest activity.
“It is a positive balance - declared the President of Veronafiere, Maurizio Danese - that consolidates the role of Fieragricola as a reference platform for a strategic sector, that needs a further action of promotion and relaunch. Our commitment to make the event more and more oriented to business and international cooperation has been recognized, first of all by the exhibiting companies, pleased with the change of date and the quality of buyers”.
In fact, thanks also to the renewed collaboration with the Italian Federation of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers FederUnacoma and a closer relationship with the ICE Agency, the event was attended by a higher number of foreign operators coming from the countries of Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. In the perspective of a more international event, the “Focus Africa” highlighted the business opportunities for the continent, by strengthening the participation of countries of Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. The event, moreover, presented itself as an opportunity to monitor the progress and problems of the primary sector, as well as the possibilities of cooperation between different economic systems.
This fact also emerged during the inaugural conference, with the speeches of the Minister of Agriculture Maurizio Martina, the President of Veronafiere Maurizio Danese, the President of Federalimentare Luigi Pio Scordamaglia, the President of Coldiretti Roberto Moncalvo, the Vice-President of Confagricoltura Giangiacomo Gallarati Scotti Bonaldi, of Paolo De Castro, member of the Agricultural Commission of the European Parliament and of Fabrizio De Filippis, professor of economics and agri-food policies at the university of Roma Tre.
“Innovation and sustainability represent two keywords for the primary sector - said during his speech the Minister Martina - because innovation goes with the ability to generate more income, compared to the past, while sustainability goes with a great value in terms of competitiveness”. “I believe that Fieragricola - said also the Minister - thanks to its international appeal and the new challenges launched with an eye to innovation and sustainability fully respects the commitments and responsibilities that our Government will be carrying out in 2016”.
