Seventy years old, in an evening dress
FederUnacoma celebrated its anniversary in Milan with a guided tour of the EXPO, a conference, and a surprise evening during which the singer Grazia Di Michele performed exclusively for FederUnacoma members, with a recital of her hits. Among the participants at the event Oscar Farinetti the creator of Eataly
It was a special evening at EXPO Milan, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of FederUnacoma, the federation of manufacturers of equipment for agriculture, lawn care, earth moving and related components, representing today one of the most important elements in the Confindustria universe. “We chose to celebrate the anniversary of the association in Milan - said Chairman Massimo Goldoni - because thanks to EXPO this city has become the heart of every initiative in the field of agriculture and food, and therefore is it somehow also the home of agricultural engineering, which is the origin of the food production chains.” “We also chose the city of Milan - adds Goldoni - for a historical reason, since the association was born in this city, soon after the end of the war, in a climate that saw the liberation of the Lombard capital as the act that effectively ended the war, and opened a new cycle.” In that climate, the business associations felt a duty to give themselves a high goal, something that would go beyond simply representing the needs of an industrial sector. Mechanization would allow Italian agriculture to increase productivity by starting the process of industrialization of the primary sector, which is at the root of the development of Western economies, and it could only do so by taking on the practical needs of the industry, with its production and structural characteristics. The “historical” members recall how the association was established with the initiative of just ten companies. It soon brought together many other entrepreneurs in the sector, with a branch in every region of the country and a wide range of equipment to suit the pedoclimatic conditions, the productive vocations, and the farming structures of our country. The close link with the rural reality is also evidenced by the presence of Italian industry in all the key moments that affected not just agriculture alone, but the territory and the environment: for the great works of land reform and land reclamation, the agricultural machinery industry began to create specific products (trenchers, dozers, loaders, excavators, graders, scrapers) that formed the nucleus of a new specialized field of mechanized earthmoving. Next came the sectors of gardening equipment, lawn care and environmental management, which over the years have become increasingly important in light of the recent guidelines of the Common Agricultural Policy on “rural areas”. During a debate held at “Cibus è Italia”, the exhibition organized by Federalimentare within EXPO, Chairman Goldoni outlined the association’s activities and the philosophy with which it has played its role as promoter of Italian engineering on domestic and foreign markets and as partner in national and international politics. The debate was also attended by Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere Parma, the exhibition body whose international review Cibus makes it a worldwide point of reference for the food industry, and Oscar Farinetti, the entrepreneur who, through his “Eataly” chain, has promoted Italian food in some of the most important cities of Italy and the world, making him an “ambassador” of our wine and food tradition. The debate highlighted that agricultural machinery is a key element of the quality and originality of our country’s food production chain, and it contributes to point to an economic model based on specialized and extremely diversified production. It took place after a guided tour of the EXPO’s pavilions, in which the owners and representatives of member companies were able to see first-hand the stations and exhibits that the Federation prepared within EXPO to illustrate the key role of the mechanical industry. In addition to a gala dinner based on typical Italian products, the evening ended with a musical entertainment surprise featuring the singer Grazia Di Michele with her group of musicians. She performed some of the songs from her repertoire, from her first hit “Le ragazze di Gauguin” to the song “Io sono una finestra”, with which she participated in the latest Sanremo Festival last February. To recreate the magical atmosphere of the festival, Grazia Di Michele brought with her Mauro Coruzzi, aka “Platinette”, who shared with her the festival experience with a duet from the Ariston Theatre stage. The fine singer-songwriter, known by the general public also as a teacher in the talent show “Amici” by Maria De Filippi, recalled how the topic of food, from an economic as well as an ethical and human point of view, is a crucial issue that is gaining increased ground in the common consciousness. Platinette pointed out the rural Iorigins of his family, and expressed his deep respect for everything related to agriculture and rural life.
