The global stars of the Fruit and Vegetable Business
UKTP promotes African produce at Berlin Trade Fair
The Director of Operations at Zimbabwe’s Trade Agency, Zimtrade, had no doubt about the importance of the 2022 Berlin Fruit Logistica trade fair held in Germany from 5 to 7 April.
Speaking from the conference floor, Similo Nkala described the trade fair as “the Oscars for fruit and vegetables”.
Fruit Logistica, an annual flagship event covering every sector of the fresh produce business, provides an important stage for the stars of the global fruit and vegetable business.
Showcasing innovation in global production, distribution and packaging, the event brought together over 2000 exhibitors from 68 countries.
Of the growing African contingent at the trade fair, four companies from Zimbabwe and Côte d’Ivoire were sponsored by the International Trade Centre’s UK Trade Partnerships (UKTP) Programme.
The UKTP Programme improves trading opportunities for UK businesses by assisting selected African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to export under Economic Partnership Agreements.
The local products promoted at the Berlin trade fair included mangoes, pineapples, snap peas, mange tout peas and chillies.
In Zimbabwe, UKTP works with lead firms to support small holder farmers to increase their productivity, improve quality assurance and to facilitate exports to international markets.
Among the many senior officials at the event, Côte d’Ivoire’s Ambassador in Germany, H.E. General Philippe Mangou, engaged closely with the small businesses.
All those in attendance described the event as a five-star experience.
Mamadou Diarra of Ivesol said, “Everyone was happy to see the stand dedicated to Côte d’Ivoire. It made us very proud. We made many new contacts and were able to reconnect with our previous customers too.”
As the global economic recovery from the pandemic continues, trade fairs are returning as vital connection points between small businesses in developing countries and market opportunities in the UK and European Union.
For the UKTP Programme, it was a major hit.
