The 14th edition of Fruit Attraction kicked off this Tuesday, Oct. 4, in Madrid, Spain. With more than 1,800 companies participating and 90,000 visitors projected, this year's agribusiness meeting stands out for its focus on innovation and technology. 

María José Sánchez, director of Fruit Attraction told Fresh Fruit Portal: "We have an innovation sector, where the most innovative products brought by exhibitors are presented. Then we have the agri-food innovation, by Smart agro, with digitization to improve production and then the Biotech Attraction."

The meeting, organized by IFEMA and FEPEX, was inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, Luis Planas. The authority stressed that the country ranks as the first producer in the European Union, the third largest producer and the second largest exporter in the world. 50% of fruits and vegetables are exported abroad and some products with more than 70%, equivalent to 28 million tons.

Planas also said that the Ministry will allocate €12 million to compensate for losses due to frosts in April. The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) promoted by the entity means a great opportunity to push the fruit and vegetable sector to advance the sustainability of the European production model.

Regarding the importance of the event, Martinez says that October is a production month for companies, therefore, firms can plan their campaigns for the following year. "We expect the visit of 90 thousand professionals from 130 countries. Fruit Attraction brings together the entire supply of the world's fruit and vegetable sector and it is a good time to make the campaigns for the following year"

One of the entities participating in the event since its debut is Freshhuelva (Huelva Association of Producers and Exporters of Strawberry), which belongs to Fepex (Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruit and Vegetables).

Rafael Domínguez, manager of Freshhuelva, points out: “Fepex understands that we have to show our customers and the general consumer the news, new varieties, sustainability, etc. For example, we have pitahaya cooperatives in Andalusia, where we have introduced tropical fruits. Our companies have a high range of products to sell to supermarkets and markets all over the world."

He also adds that "our intention is that berries from Huelva continue to reach all markets in the world such as Europe and Canada, with which we have an agreement to send strawberries and blueberries next year.”

Fruit Attraction will run until Thursday, Oct. 6 and Fresh Fruit Portal will be covering the event from social networks, with interesting interviews and all the happenings of this great event.