A diverse and high-quality offering from 350 exhibiting companies, a competent and informative program of the Lake Constance Fruit Growing Days, and a respectful exchange of opinions; this was Fruchtwelt Bodensee 2024: Thus, the fruit and agriculture trade fair in Friedrichshafen attracted 13,250 visitors (previous year 13,120) from 36 countries with new impulses, brought the dialogue between the agriculture industry and politics to the forefront, and strengthened cohesion. The visit of Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Agriculture Peter Hauk was accompanied by a quiet, yet impressive protest by young farmers. Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir was ready for more constructive and solution-oriented discussions during his appearance at the fair on Saturday, following constructive talks with representatives of the fruit growing industry and a tour of the fair.
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Klaus Wellmann, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen, and project manager Sharon Kommer draw a positive conclusion after three days of the fair: "The great strength of Fruchtwelt Bodensee lies in the combination of a diverse and high-quality product range from the exhibiting companies with a technically sound lecture program. From new and resistant fruit varieties to plant protection and the latest developments in machinery and equipment, visitors receive an excellent market overview."
Sharon Kommer explains: "Due to the pandemic, Fruchtwelt Bodensee could only take place digitally in 2022, which led us to decide to hold the event outside the usual biennial cycle last year, a decision that is reflected in the constant visitor numbers in the current edition. In many personal conversations over the last three days, we have received very positive feedback from the exhibitors. Known and also new companies have already announced their participation in 2026, and we look very optimistically into the future. We are confident that Fruchtwelt Bodensee will continue to expand its significance as a central and international industry meeting point in its usual biennial rhythm." Similarly, Petra Holstein, commercial manager at Arnold Holstein, says: "This year we were able to welcome and take care of many existing customers at our stand. The fair provided a good platform to inform interested parties about distillery plants, and I think that the usual biennial rhythm will benefit us in the future."
Michael Neumüller, owner of the Bavarian Fruit Centre, was very satisfied with his visit to Fruchtwelt Bodensee. "We mainly breed new varieties of apples, pears, and plums and received surprisingly good response this year. On Friday, there were relatively many private individuals, and over the weekend, many commercial fruit growers were here, looking for rarities and specialties for their farm shops. We are amazed that despite the actually quite poor mood in the industry, the demand is so good. Farmers want to see the fruits not just in a brochure or on the internet; they want to see them, taste them, see if they are right for their marketing. There's nothing like personal contact, and a fair like this is the ideal opportunity for that."
Young companies presented themselves in the Start-Up Area. Among them was Peter Telgmann, founder of EisBerger: "For us, it was the first visit to Fruchtwelt Bodensee. We are very satisfied, had many important conversations, and expect a lot of new customers in the next six months. Our customers were satisfied and had fun, just like us." Dr. Michael Müller, CEO and founder of Pflanzentheke, is also satisfied with his fair appearance: "The quality of the contacts we were able to make at Fruchtwelt Bodensee fully meets my expectations. Despite, or perhaps because we presented ourselves with vegetables instead of fruit at our stand, we were well received and received a lot of positive feedback. Messe Friedrichshafen is located in a great region, and I can well imagine including it in our fair mix."
A positive concluding balance is drawn by Andreas Ganal, CEO of Obstregion Bodensee e.V., and co-organizer of the program of the Lake Constance Fruit Growing Days: "The visits of our two Ministers of Agriculture from the federal and state levels, the great interest in the technical lectures, and the exchange with the many fruit producers again show that Fruchtwelt Bodensee is a very important element of the fruit industry. We are pleased to see how networks are being formed and maintained and an enormous technical exchange is taking place."
Minister Cem Özdemir at the fair.
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir showed openness and solution orientation, after talks in a small group as well as during a tour of the fair, and assured the audience in the subsequent speech on stage: "I like to get out of the ministry and come back smarter. Therefore, your voice is very important: I look forward to you bringing in your position critically and constructively."
Research and innovation are the focus of Dr. Manfred Büchele, CEO of the Competence Centre for Fruit Growing in Bavendorf (KOB): "Fruchtwelt Bodensee is a showcase of our performance. We are pleased that we were able to show our visitors what innovations and modern technology can achieve in fruit growing. Even in difficult times, we want to show possibilities, because I am confident that we will still be practicing high-quality fruit growing here in our region in twenty years' time. We are already looking forward to the next event in 2026."
The next international summit for fruit growers, farmers, and distillers on Lake Constance will take place again in the previous rhythm from February 20 to 22, 2026.
In the coming days, more reports and articles on Fruchtwelt Bodensee will follow.
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For more information:
www.fruchtwelt-bodensee.de