Spotlight on the fresh produce industry at Macfrut
Today at the Rimini Expo Centre, Minister Francesco Lollobrigida has opened the 42nd edition of the international fruit and vegetable trade fair. From today to 8 May, the trade fair will be packed: 1,400 exhibitors (40% from abroad), 1,500 buyers, themed exhibitions, around 100 events.
Rimini, 6th May 2025 – The Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida, has opened today the 42nd edition of Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable supply chain, which will be held at the Rimini Expo Centre from today to 8 May.
Macfrut makes Rimini an important international hub for the global fruit and vegetable supply chain, bringing together 1,400 exhibitors (more than 40% of whom will come from abroad) and 1,500 top buyers who will be able to network through a platform, themed exhibitions, and around 100 events on trends and developments in the sector. One of the new features is a large arena dedicated to healthy food, The Healthy Food Show, with 11 Italian celebrity testimonials in conversation with chefs and scientific experts.
Egypt is the Partner Country, with a large area hosting its 40 companies, while Lazio is the Partner Region of the three-day trade fair, showcasing its 11 PDO and PGI fruit and vegetable products. There will also be three International Symposia (Biotechnology, Potato, Mediterranean Aromatic Plants), themed exhibitions on current and future trends in the sector coordinated by a team of experts, two test fields that focus on innovations applied to field crops, and much more.
Presenting the key themes of Macfrut was President Renzo Piraccini: “Those who have attended Macfrut are well aware of how the event has taken off since the Covid period, also thanks to our collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE). The synergy between the 42nd edition of Macfrut, the fruit and vegetable showcase, and the 54th edition of Fieravicola has enabled us to create a true agri-food hub capable of attracting operators from all over the world. Macfrut is the showcase of Italy’s fruit and vegetable supply chain, a cornerstone sector for our country, worth €19 billion, rising to over €60 billion when considering the entire supply chain. And the supply chain is precisely the strength of Italy’s fruit and vegetable system, which has found in Macfrut its ideal showcase, representing every link from seed to table.”
Representing the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), Maurizio Forte of the Central Export Department added: “ICE has been a strategic partner of Macfrut for several years. Together with the fair, we manage the incoming of international operators and promotional activities in foreign markets to raise awareness of this event. This year, we brought 380 delegates for both Macfrut and Fieravicola; four editions ago, they were about a tenth of that number. There has been a major institutional investment to grow Macfrut and establish it as a leading event not only in Italy but worldwide.”
Italian fruit and vegetables, a €60 billion supply chain
The fruit and vegetable sector will take centre stage at the three-day trade fair, whose production in Italy is valued at more than €17 billion, rising to around €60 billion when considering the entire supply chain, from seed to table. Fruit and vegetables account for more than a quarter of Italy’s agricultural production (28%) and, together with canned vegetables, for 18% of Italy’s agri-food exports. The sector comprises 300,000 farms, covering a total area of 1.3 million hectares.
Export growth reached around €6.5 billion last year (+6.3%). If processed products are included alongside fresh products, the value of exports rises to €12.5 billion. In the medium term, looking at the last five years (2019-2023), fresh produce exports alone have increased by 30.3%.
The Healthy Food Show with 11 celebrity testimonials
The trade fair will host a large arena on healthy food, with scientific experts, big names in the culinary world, companies in the sector and 11 celebrity testimonials from well-known sports and entertainment personalities. Macfrut 2025 will feature a brand new event, The Healthy Food Show, comprising five talks with a common theme: raising awareness of the fact that our well-being and health are strongly influenced by what we eat. Innovative fruit and vegetable products with high nutritional value will be in the spotlight.
Themed exhibitions
Macfrut has always been a showcase for the latest trends and developments in the sector, with special focus sessions featuring leading experts, researchers and global players from around the world. This year, Macfrut will host three international symposia: the International Symposium on Biotechnological Tools in Horticulture, with 220 participants from 40 countries; the International Potato Symposium, dedicated to the potato, the key product of Macfrut 2025, with 35 speakers from all over Europe and further afield (Egypt and Namibia); and the International Mediterranean Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, part of Spices & Herbs Global Expo, dedicated to spices, aromatic and medicinal herbs, which will bring together more than 100 scholars from 24 countries.
The Plant Nursery Area is dedicated to the nursery supply chain with a series of focus sessions (VIP: ‘Varieties International Project’) on genetic improvement and new varieties in modern fruit growing. The Biosolutions International Event, with around 60 exhibitors, makes Macfrut the leading event in Europe for natural products for plant protection, nutrition and biostimulation, while Red Planet focuses exclusively on the tomato supply chain. The Agrisolar Systems & Technologies exhibition will be held alongside Acqua Campus, which will focus on water saving. The dynamic area will also be back with two test fields at Macfrut Field Solutions. New events include Romagna Business Matching, a networking and B2B initiative by Confindustria Romagna, and the Berry Area, dedicated to berries.
Fonte: Macfrut 2025
