Fruit Attraction

World Fresh Forum.

A business and institutional networking space that leverages opportunities in Brazil, Ukraine, South Korea and Belarus 

Organised by the Secretary of State for Trade, ICEX, FEPEX and IFEMA

To attend the sessions, users first need to create a professional profile on the Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect platformthrough this link using the invitation code: FA210000001FS

Madrid, 26 July 2021. As part of Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect, for the fifth consecutive year the World Fresh Forum will also explore the business opportunities and commercial challenges in this edition’s guest countries: Brazil, Ukraine, South Korea and Belarus. Organised by the Secretary of State for Trade, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, IFEMA and FEPEX, the Forum will consist of four sessions, to be held from 6 to 10 September on the LIVEConnect platform.

“For FEPEX, the World Fresh Forum is a highly-valued parallel activity within the Fair, a space for business and institutional networking that means that those attending can leverage the commercial opportunities offered by the invited countries. It also contributes to the diversification of markets, one of the main challenges for the fruit and vegetable export sector.” 

ICEX added that “we consider Fruit Attraction to be the best showcase to highlight the value offered by Spanish fruit and vegetable sector on international markets. The excellence and diversity of products and the export strength and professionalism of the companies taking part are evident in this unmissable event. ICEX will be giving two-fold support to this event, through the organisation of specific webinars in opportunity markets such as Belarus, Brazil, South Korea and Ukraine at the World Fresh Forum and by organising a mission featuring international buyers who will meet with exhibitors who so request it at the Buyer’s Meeting.”

Monday 6 September, the first day of the World Fresh Forum, will be dedicated to Brazil. The market for the fruit and vegetable sector in this country is very important to Spanish exports. Despite being a large fruit and vegetable producer, the size of its demand and the inversion of the seasons between the two hemispheres make it an importer of such produce. Spain is the leading European exporter to Brazil of products such as garlic, onion, plums, peaches, pears and citrus fruits.

This session will address topics such as Regulatory conditions for accessing the Brazilian market: MAPA and MINCOTUR, with Agustín Velilla, deputy general manager of Inspection, Certification and Technical Assistance at MINCOTUR, and Emilio García Muro, deputy general manager of Sanitary Agreements and Border Control at MAPA. The second session will focus on Opportunities for the fruit and vegetable sector in the Brazilian market and will be led by Ramón Guzmán, Spain’s Economic and Commercial Director in São Paulo, Luiz Roberto Barcelos, CEO of Agrícola Famosa and José Luis Molina Zamora, the Hispatec CEO. 

On Wednesday 8 September, the conference will focus on Ukraine, whose fruit and vegetable market is registering notable increases in its import figures in recent years, with significant two-figure growth rates. Despite strong competition from countries such as Turkey, Spanish fruit and vegetable exports have been able to take advantage of this increase in imports and are also growing at a good pace. The Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, in force since 2017, has had a positive impact on bilateral trade.

At the first session we will once again be joined by Agustín Velilla, deputy general manager of Inspection, Certification and Technical Assistance at MINCOTUR and Emilio García Muro, deputy general manager of Sanitary Agreements and Border Control at MAPA, who will prepare the way for a debate featuring Mónica Junquera, Spain’s commercial attaché in Kiev, Oleksandr Kovalchuk, senior import manager for Fruits & Vegetables at the Fozzy Group, and Ferrán Cabrera, Eastern Europe manager at Anecoop S. Cooperativa, who will discuss the opportunities for the sector in that market. ´

On Thursday 9 September it is the turn of South Korea, whose free trade agreement with the European Union facilitates business opportunities between both parties. The export of certain fruit and vegetable products is subject to the approval of bilateral protocols between the two countries, the negotiation of which is a long process. Such opportunities may however arise in the export of orange varieties for which there are already bilateral protocols in place, as well as in the case of other fresh products that do not require these protocols, and frozen and canned products. 

After the first MAPA-MINCOTUR session, which will focus on regulatory access conditions regarding the South Korean market, Darío Sáez, Spain’s Economic and Commercial Director in Seoul, Donald Yim, sales director at the Korean company Onsem, and Kim Young Il, chairman of the Korean company Primavera/Bouquet Co. will discuss the opportunities for the fruit and vegetable sector in that market. 

In the case of Belarus, the conference will be held on Friday 10 September, with MAPA and MINCOTUR taking part, as well as Pablo Martínez, Spain’s Economic and Commercial Director in Russia and Belarus and a number of fruit import and export companies from Belarus.

This will pave the way for a period of high-potential opportunities for fruit and vegetable exports. In-depth knowledge of how the sector operates and on the specific needs of fruit and vegetable importers is essential. All sessions will be introduced by José María Zalbidea, Secretary General of FEPEX, Raúl Calleja, director of Fruit Attraction and Maria Naranjo, director of the Food Industry section at ICEX, with a discussion at the end of each meeting. 

Organised by IFEMA and FEPEX Fruit Attraction, it will bring together the entire international fruit and vegetable community from 5 to 7 October in Madrid. In addition, the Fruit Attraction LIVEConnect technological platform has been added, operational 365 days a year to generate thousands of new business opportunities.