Everything is not yet ready for the 2021 edition of Macfruit, "as we expect applications and contacts to boom over the next 4 weeks as the pandemic situation will normalize. The Cesena Fiera team will have to do a lot of work by mid-July. Even those companies that were doubtful have now understood that the fair will happen," explains Renzo Piraccini.
During the press conference held in Rome on June 22nd 2021, Macfrut president Piraccini announced that "only those with a Green Pass will be able to access the fair or, alternatively, with a negative swab from one of the two mobile centers at the entrances that will give a response in 15 minutes. A wide indoor area will guarantee social distancing while enabling up to 14,500 people to access."
Renzo Piraccini in an archive photo
The president aims high, as he wants to reconfirm the figures of 2019 although he knows probably nothing will ever be as "before". But the fair will be complemented by Macfrut Digital for relationships with "faraway" countries and, on September 6th, there will be a large event dedicated to Chinese operators, basically a digital preview dedicated to the many businesses from China who have renewed their trust into the Italian event for the second year running.
The comment by Roberto Luongo (Ice)
Roberto Luongo, General director at ICE- Agenzia, said that "Agenzia ICE is supporting Italian food&wine businesses. After last year's incentives for those taking part in our promotional initiatives and market monitoring guaranteed via the Smart 365 digital platform, Agenzia ICE is back supporting the fair and Italian companies with a program - over 100 foreign operators - to promote an edition that will have great impact for operators."
The comment by Francesco Battistoni (Ministry)
Francesco Battistoni, Undersecretary for agricultural, food and forestry policy, intervened saying that "Macfrut 2021 will follow all safety regulations also thanks to the obligation to have the Green Pass. It is an important even to showcase domestic horticultural produce - we are talking about highly-competitive products due to their quality and which are currently under attack. I am referring in particular to the Nutriscore, based on a principle that assesses the healthiness of a product based on the content of fats, saturated fats and energy in 100 grams, which is wrong."
The comment by Ettore Prandini (Coldiretti)
Coldiretti president Ettore Prandini said that "the restart of the fair sector is essential for a country like Italy where exports have exceeded imports in 2020 for the first time in recent history, during a pandemic. The world is hungry for Italian products, and we can meet demand with a robust plan of strategic interventions presented by Coldiretti within the Recovery Plan."
The comment by Antonella Cavallari (Iila)
Antonella Cavallari, Secretary General at IILA, commented that "our association has been reuniting Italy and Latin America since the 1960s and, considering the importance of the agricultural and food sector in Latin America, our collaboration with Macfrut is of particular importance. We favor the presence of small-medium producers in fairs who would otherwise find it difficult to attend. Fairs are not only needed for b2b, but also to give life to new initiatives and projects. IILA is very active when it comes to this, thanks to programs on the development of agricultural precision in Latin America."