The second edition of Medfel, the international fruit and vegetables fair for the Euro-Mediterranean region, took place in Perpignan, in the southwest of France, on 4-6 May.
Despite the unseasonable bout of heavy rain and wind, which forced the local airport to close, obligating many visitors to choose alternative routes, the event succeeded in attracting suppliers from the whole of the Mediterranean, including France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt, as well as buyers from all over Europe, the Middle East and the Maghreb.
The event welcomed some 3,340 visitors, according to the organisers. While this represented an increase over last year’s 3,231 visitors, more important was the rise in the percentage of foreign attendees, at 27 per cent compared with 21 per cent in 2009.
Even more important, according to organisers, was the number of pre-arranged business-to-business meetings that were held over the course of the fair. With approximately 2,100 such meetings held, organisers said, Medfel’s 200 exhibitors were able to make the most of the presence of buyers from 35 major international markets.
In addition to the Europêch’ stonefruit forecasts, a number of conferences were held throughout the event, on subjects as diverse as the prospects for the Union of the Mediterranean, food safety and organic agriculture in the region, the future of the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Council for fruit and vegetables, and sustainability.
A press conference was also held concerning the FeL Partenariat, which became the first self-monitoring convention when it was signed last October, bringing together a number of federations (ANEEFEL, CSIF, UNCGFL) and validated by the DGCCRF (the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control).
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