Victoria de Girón Agroindustrial Company present at MacFrut 2023.

Victória de Girón Agroindustrial Company was part of the Cuban delegation that participated in the 40th edition of the MacFrut 2023 International Fair, held from May 2nd to May 5th this year in the city of Rimini, Italy.

Considered the main fruit and vegetable fair in Italy and one of the most important in this category in Europe, it was dedicated to the fruit and vegetable sector, where the stand of the largest of the Antilles was represented by CubaFruta and Hab.AMA, two cooperation projects implemented by the Tropical Fruit Growing Research Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba with the financial support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.

Mónica Piniella Gutiérrez, Communication specialist of the events Cubafrutas and Hab. AMA, from the Tropical Fruit Growing Research Institute, commented to Radio Victoria de Girón that the Cuban delegation that attended this important event was made up of twelve representatives of Cuban agricultural cooperative companies, research centres and public institutions belonging to the Agricultural Business Group, the Fruit Growing Research Institute and the main companies in this sector, including Agroindustrial Victoria de Girón, Frutas Selectas, LabioFam, Ceballos and Cooperatives and local producers.

The specialist said that representatives of other companies in the agri-food sector and small and medium-sized private sector MSMEs were present at the fair, and had the opportunity to participate in the forum dedicated to them as part of this year’s programme with the support of the Italian Agency for Foreign Trade and the Italian-Latin American International Organisation.

The Cuban stand displayed several varieties of fruits, vegetables and local organic products, as well as a selection of dehydrated fruits and spices and organic solutions of interest to agriculture.

In the days prior to the fair, the Cuban delegation made several visits to companies in the fruit and vegetable sector in Italy with the aim of learning about the Italian experience in the management of production systems and strengthening trade relations.

According to Piniella Gutiérrez, the agricultural sector represents an important axis of the Cuban economy and is at the centre of a modernisation process aimed at the development and acquisition of state-of-the-art technologies, innovations and the construction of specific strategies.

This process aims to increase local production in order to improve the country’s food security and to explore the international market as a way of positioning Cuban agri-food products with greater competitive potential.

The MacFrut 2023 International Fair, which annually brings together the main Italian and international economic actors operating in the agricultural supply chain, hosted this year a record number of exhibitors and buyers, representing a key moment to increase the visibility of the Cuban agricultural sector and expand its network of international partners.

Written by Julio Haedo Maden/Radio Victoria de Girón.