With 275 exhibitors from 22 countries, organisers TIF-Helexpo says this year’s Freskon represents a “prime opportunity” to highlight fresh produce and strengthen commercial collaborations
At the opening ceremony of this week’s Freskon fruit and vegetables exhibition in Thessaloniki, Kostas Tsiaras, Greece’s minister of rural development and food, said the event offered a unique opportunity to showcase fresh fruit and vegetables, to create greater visibility and potential for commercial partnerships.
Tsiaras said that Freskon, which runs until 12 April, represented a chance to return to the basics and reassess the country’s core productive capacity through a modern lens shaped by today’s evolving conditions.
“He referred to a primary sector defined by a challenging and uncertain era, facing the consequences of the climate crisis and a shifting landscape in the European and global markets, developments that pose serious concerns about the added value we seek for Greek agricultural products,” the organisers, TIF-Helexpo, stated.
Poland’s deputy minister of agriculture, Michal Kolodziejczak, spoke of the importance of the agricultural sector to the country, particularly in apples as the largest producer in Europe.
He expressed satisfaction at Poland’s participation, emphasising the importance of food security, with global food sufficiency remaining a core mission of the agricultural sector, he said.
The region of Central Macedonia is present at Freskon with 26 companies. Regional governor Athina Aidona said the exhibition was a key event for the primary sector and the fresh produce industry, and one of the most important in the Balkans and south-east Europe.
She said that the region of Central Macedonia produced high-quality fruit and vegetables and was the leading Greek region in terms of agricultural production and food exports.
Theodoros Dimitriadis, CEO of O.Mind Creatives, highlighted the importance of Freskon for the industry, noting that the simultaneous hosting of the Logistics & Transports Expo Thessaloniki was a good complement to the fresh produce sector.
President of TIF-Helexpo Tasos Tzikas affirmed the growth trajectory of Freskon, stressing that the scope of Freskon was of great strategic importance to the country.
