The 40th edition of the Macfrut International Trade Fair took place in Rimini, Emilia Romagna region (Italy) from May 3rd to May 5th, 2023.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Italy participated in the fair with booths and activities aimed at promoting the potential of Vietnamese fruits, vegetables, and spices in the framework of Vietnam-Italy 2023 to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on May 3rd, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry of Italy, Mr. Francesco Lollobrigida emphasized that the country "needs to play a central role in the international agriculture and food sector."
Fruits and vegetables represent one of the main sectors of production in Italy, a tradition of cuisine in various regions, and a culinary culture recognized worldwide.
The government's nomination of Italian cuisine as a non-material cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2023 affirms, at the international level, the quality, taste, and flavor of Italian products.
With a focus on smart agriculture, Macfrut 2023 has attracted the interest and participation of many international partners, with a 50% increase in the number of international businesses compared to 2022, from the Middle East, Europe (Balkan and Northern Europe), Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
This year, the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy is participating in the fair with a booth to introduce famous Vietnamese agricultural products and spices such as dragon fruit, green skin pomelo, bamboo shoots, mangoes, pineapples, as well as varieties of tea, coffee, dried fruits, along with opportunities for Vietnam-Italy cooperation with the theme "Vietnamese Fruit Garden: Unique Spices."
On this occasion, Mayor Sadegholvaad also presented a letter of support to the Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Dương Hải Hưng for the activities of Vietnam-Italy 2023 in the city of Rimini.
Vietnam and Italy agree to promote a strategic partnership
In the opening statement at the showcase of Vietnamese agricultural products and spices at Macfrut Fair, Ambassador Dang Hai Hung emphasized that Vietnam is the 8th largest fruit exporter in the world, accounting for 3.8% of total fruit exports.
The Vietnamese agricultural industry in general and vegetables, fruits, and spices, in particular, are in an impressive period of transition with many innovations, modernizations, and bringing Vietnam into a significant source of spice supply in the world market.
Compared to other countries in Asia with the same agricultural strengths, only Vietnam has an FTA with the European Union (EU), providing a significant advantage if Vietnam and Italy cooperate to combine their strengths in business, investment, and production of agricultural commodities not only in Italy but also to serve the regional and global markets.
Besides being an important supplier of agricultural products, Vietnam is also a big market with enormous potential, thanks to nearly 100 million domestic consumers. The rapidly growing middle class after decades of high-speed economic development leads to high demands for premium Made in Italy products.
Luca Gasparini, Director of the Italian Agricultural Unions’ Confederation (Confagricontura), evaluated that "Vietnam’s participation in this exhibition is essential. Vietnamese booths have shown outstanding strengths in agriculture and distinctive cultural aspects. In the context of Industry, 4.0 development, meeting and exchanging with world-class partners in agriculture expansion is vital and valuable.”.
Macfrut Fruit Fair 2023 is the third time that Vietnam directly presents its leading fruit and spice products for Italian enterprises and people at a time when Italian and European consumers are increasingly interested in and tend to consume tropical fruits, especially new types that are good for health.
Macfrut Fair is one of the three largest international annual fairs for professionals in Europe, with a very large scale of about 1,000 booths from over 90 countries, including more than 500 purchasing businesses, and about 32,500 attendees.
The fair displays various agricultural products, fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs, poultry products, as well as modern machinery and technologies related to the entire process from cultivation, production, packaging, distribution, and marketing...
The fair is also where business-to-business meetings, specialized conferences, and network connection sessions take place.
Each year, Europe imports agricultural products worth over 160 billion USD, and Vietnamese agricultural products have become high-value export commodities, with an export turnover of 3.34 billion USD in 2022.
In Italy, fruits are a strategic sector of the agricultural industry, with an export turnover of 5.6 billion USD in 2022, ranking third in Europe and tenth in the world.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/co-hoi-quang-ba-rau-qua-gia-vi-viet-tai-hoi-cho-quoc-te-macfrut-2023/860878.vnp
