Macfrut 2010, the debut of the G20 of the fruit and vegetable industry

The fruit and vegetable sector's "exit strategy" from the global economic crisis, production and world consumption figures, the analysis of current trends and, last but not least, the first "G20 of the fruit and vegetable industry" - these will be some of the key themes at the 2010 edition of Macfrut, the international exhibition devoted to the fruit and vegetable industry, which will take place at the Cesena trade fair district from 6 to 8 October 2010.

The event will present itself once more as the industry's most important trade fair in Mediterranean Europe, thanks to the confirmed presence of all the industry's major actors: seed companies, leading producers, technology manufacturers, experts from the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable sector, buyers from large-scale Italian and international retailers, packaging manufacturers and producers of innovative solutions for the fruit and vegetable industry.

The decision to reconfirm the Autumn date for this 27th edition of Macfrut, after last year's pilot experience, is supported by figures and by some objective data: in 2009 the exhibition was attended by leading companies from all sectors of the industry, some of the major large-scale Italian food retailers (such as Coop Italia and Conad) were present for the first time, there were more than 700 exhibitors (20% of which coming from abroad), 21,500 professional visitors, some 300 bilateral B2B meetings.

The great novelty of this year's edition is the "G20 of the fruit and vegetable industry", scheduled for October 5 and 6: a meeting of the twenty most important agricultural regions in Europe, aimed at drafting a joint document for the adoption of common market rules, especially as regards the relationship with large-scale distributors.. In other words, the first G20 of the fruit and vegetable industry aims at achieving a better distribution of income along the production chain.

On the first day of the meeting, 24 hours before the official opening of Macfrut 2010, the G20 will host the "European Fruit Summit", which will provide forecasts about the production of four major reference products - apples, pears, kiwis and citrus fruits - at the European and the world-level. The "real" G20 meeting will take place on the second day, that is October 6, when an attempt will be made by the industry's representatives to devise a common strategy vis-a-vis large-scale European and international distributors.