Press release no. 3/2011
Agrilevante: a high-flying edition
Full steam ahead for preparations for the 2011 edition set for October 13 to 16 at the BariTradeFairCenter. The exhibition area and number of exhibitors are on the increase. In spite of political crises which have swept through some nations, the international characteristic of the event aimed at drawing visitors from around the Mediterranean has been confirmed.
Agrilevante can vaunt big numbers top-flight content for the 2011 edition of the international review of machinery, plant and technologies for agriculture scheduled for October 13 to 16 at the BariTradeFairCenter. The review organized by Unacoma Service and the Bari Fair Agency will this year take over a total of 45,000 m² of exhibition area, 30,000 m² under cover and 15,000 m² outdoors, and feature 230 exhibitors, compared to some 200 for the most recent edition in 2009, bringing a total of 5,000 models of machinery, equipment and components. The result is certain to be prestigious for the specialized event focused on the production and the specific needs of Mediterranean agriculture. A high technological level will be ensured by the participation of the leading manufacturers of machinery and equipment and the area set aside for technological innovation, to include the New Technologies competition with awards for the most advanced achievements previewed here by exhibiting companies. The review aims to put on offer technologies for entire production chains, cereal crops, energy and non-food production, fruit and vegetables, vineyard cultivation and wine production and the olive oil sector, and will feature the new specialized MiA Salon on multifunctional agriculture. A look at the types of machinery arriving discloses that tractors will be the most heavily represented, taking up 23% of the exhibition area, followed by tilling machinery at 18%, machinery for olive cultivation and specialized crops at 14%, harvesters at 13%, machinery for irrigation at 6%, for gardening and small power and manual tools at 6% and components at 4%. With a range of technologies suited to all the production requirements typical of Mediterranean agriculture, the exhibition will be ready to welcome vast numbers of farmers, contractors and businesspeople from around the southern Italian regions, the Mediterranean area, the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa to overtake the 2009 edition turnout of 33,000 visitors. Unacoma Service Managing Director Guglielmo Gandino explained, “The international side of the review is a highly qualifying feature and we are working hard to confirm this also for this year’s edition in spite of a framework of political uncertainties prevailing in some countries and the obvious consequences at the organization and business level.” He also said, “Compared to the situation last spring when we were forced to cancel our EIMA Gulf trade fair in Abu Dhabi because of the political and military crises which had broken out in many Mediterranean countries and on the Arab Peninsula itself, the overall situation looks better and we are confident that many businesspeople in these countries can come to Bari thanks in part to signs of a progressive return to peace and economic development.”
Growth in the primary sector and especially models for the management of agriculture in the Mediterranean make up, moreover, the basic theme of the Agrilevante review which will feature a schedule of conferences and meetings on technical and financial issues as well. Among the most important are a conference sponsored by Unacoma, in cooperation with the University of Bari, on the theme Olive Cultivation in the Italian South – State of the Art and Prospects, and meetings focusing on the economic management of production chains and financial instruments for strengthening agricultural enterprises.