Italy leads pack at Fruit Logistica as exports to Germany grow

At next week’s Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Italy will retain its position as the number one country in terms of exhibitors at the world’s leading fresh produce trade fair.

With over 470 individual companies due to take part, Italy’s fresh fruit and vegetable business continues to prioritise the event as a major promotional platform.

And Germany remains Italy’s most valuable export market for fresh produce. In 2022, that business was worth €3.73bn, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). That was more than the €1.62bn and €1.3bn respectively it made in France and the UK combined.

The same data set shows Italy exported €2.4bn worth of fresh vegetables and €1.3bn worth of fresh fruit to Germany in 2022. The volume of those exports was 1.25m tonnes for vegetables and 644,000 tonnes for fruit.

In 2021, by comparison, Italy’s total fruit and vegetable exports to Germany were worth less at €3.4bn.

Commercial commitment

Trade bodies CSO Italy and Fruitimprese, as well as the Region of Calabria, will be at Fruit Logistica as part of a marketing collective to remind the world about Italy, the Beauty of Quality.

“Our objective is to offer members and co-exhibitors useful tools to make the most of their participation in what is the most important trade fair in the sector at a global level,” comments Bianca Bonifacio, exhibition manager at CSO Italy.

Around 40 companies will join CSO as co-exhibitors, including some of the biggest names in the business, among them Alegra, Apofruit, Granfrutta Zani, Jingold, Mazzoni, Naturitalia, Oranfrizer (Unifrutti), Opera, Origine, Orogel Fresco and Salvi Unacoa.

This year, the space known to many as Piazza Italia also features a multi-purpose arena for events including product launches, discussion forums and awards ceremonies.

Italy’s agriculture minister Francesco Lollobrigida will be joined by the country’s ambassador to Germany Armando Varricchio on Wednesday afternoon to recognise the sector’s importance and give their backing to projects like Made in Nature – a promotional programme for organics which is co-financed by the EU, Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture and certain members of CSO Italy.