The trade itself has commented on how effective the fair was for making business contacts. Dole Fresh Fruit Europe md Claus Anderson emphasised 'the quality of commercial contacts at the highest level.' He singled out interaction with retail representatives from the UK, the Scandinavian countries, France and the Benelux countries and indicated that in the future Dole will concentrate its European trade-show activities at Fruit Logistica.

The conference programme that ran alongside the fair included the International Five-a-day Symposium, an International Business Meeting Latin America/Europe and Eurofruit Magazine's logistics workshop.

The event lived up to its international billing with well over half of all trade visitors from outside Germany, 90 per cent of them exercising a substantial influence over purchasing decisions. And a third of exhibitors conducting business at the fair.

And representatives from the produce industry of five EU members-in-waiting were also present. 'For us Fruit Logistica is the most important exhibition anywhere in the world,' said Béla Mártonffy, director of the Hungarian Fruit & Vegetable Association.

Both Central and South America were well represented by exporters and officials alike and northern, western and southern Africa also had a strong presence with representatives from Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and South Africa. Asian stand-holders displayed an impressive range of exotics between them with exhibitors coming from right across the continent including the United Arab Emirates, China, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

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