Freshuelva returns from Fruit Attraction satisfied with the boost it has managed to give to the soft fruit sector
Freshuelva has completed the three days of the Fruit and Vegetable Fair, Fruit Attraction, with a “very satisfactory and very positive” balance due to the large number of visitors to this important national event for the sector, where strawberries and red fruits from Huelva have raised great expectations and have had great institutional support.
The president of Freshuelva, Francisco José Gómez, has highlighted the significant attendance at this edition of Fruit Attraction and stressed that the Madrid fair is confirmed and consolidated as an important meeting point for companies with their suppliers and customers, as well as a business centre where commercial relations have been re-established.
Francisco José Gómez had the opportunity to accompany the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, at the opening of the fair and, already at the Association's stand, he asked for his full support to help urgently solve the problems with the hydraulic infrastructures, with the labor and with the disinfection of the soils that plague the sector.
He was also able to convey the same concerns to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Andalusian Government, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco. The Minister has committed to holding a meeting at the headquarters of Freshuelva with all the agricultural organizations of the province to address these issues.
Numerous institutional representatives have visited the Freshuelva stand, such as the Secretary General of the PSOE of Andalusia, Juan Espadas; the President of the Provincial Council of Huelva, David Toscano, who showed the support of the provincial institution to the promotion at the fair accompanied by the deputy Patricia Millán; the national deputies of the PSOE Gabriel Cruz and María Luisa Faneca (socialist spokesperson in the Agriculture Commission); the senator of the PP Carmelo Romero and the senator of the PSOE María Eugenia Limón; the Andalusian parliamentarian María Márquez; the president of the Port of Huelva, Alberto Santana, and the new director of the entity, Alfonso Peña; the provincial deputy of Vox, Miguel Ángel Sánchez; the general secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Gómez Galera; the delegate of the Andalusian Government in Huelva, José Manuel Correa; the provincial delegate of Employment, Business and Self-Employment, Juan Carlos Duarte; several mayors of the province, such as that of Cartaya, Manuel Barroso, that of Moguer, Gustavo Cuéllar, or that of Almonte, Francisco Bella; as well as representatives of various agricultural organizations such as UPA, Asaja, Huelva Riega or the Association of Citrus Growers of the Province of Huelva.
Freshuelva also had a full agenda of work meetings and events, such as the meeting with the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Begoña Garcia Bernal, which addressed important issues such as the need to find effective alternatives for soil disinfection that allow the sector to remain competitive against other producing countries with which it does not compete on equal terms or the regulation of the active ingredients necessary to combat pests that affect crops.
Important meetings have also been held with the Director General of Migration Management, Celso Gonzalez, with whom the issue of labor was discussed and he committed to address the needs of the sector with respect to the number of people hired in their country of origin and to launch pilot projects with new countries, as will be done with Guatemala and later with Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal; the Director General of Health in Agri-Food Production and Animal Welfare, Valentín Almansa; and the Head of Area of the General Sub-Directorate of Fruits and Vegetables and Viticulture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Angélica Mateo.
In addition to these institutional meetings, the Freshuelva stand has hosted numerous professional meetings between companies and representatives of the sector.
Associated companies present at the fair
In addition to Freshuelva, companies linked to the berry sector have once again firmly committed to their presence at the fair and have occupied around 1.000 square metres of stands at Fruit Attraction 2024. Pavilion 9 hosted the majority of the companies in the red fruit sector in the province of Huelva, where Freshuelva also had an adjoining stand of 72 square metres, specifically 9F06, where the associated companies Frutas El Pinar, Pitayas de Andalucía, Fres Molinero, La Pirujita, Cofrelux and Domifres could locate and carry out their commercial activities.
Also with their own space in Hall 9, other associated companies attended a new edition of the national and international benchmark fair for the fruit and vegetable sector, such as Fresón de Palos, Moguer Cuna de Platero, Grufesa, Fruta de Andalucía, Plus Berries, Surexport, Doñana 1998, Euroberry, Flor de Doñana, SAT Algaida, Ideal Fruits, Masià Ciscar, Grupo Medina, Berryworld Group and Royal. The companies Frutas Borja y Garrido and García SCA were at the SAT Frescitrus stand and the company Bonafrú was included at the Unica Fresh stand.
Also in Hall 9 was the breeding company created by different companies in the sector, Fresas Nuevos Materiales (FNM). Driscoll's in Hall 10, Frutas Esther and Frutas Maripi-Uniland in Hall 7 and El Pinar in Hall 5 completed the presence at the fair of the associated companies of Freshuelva.
At this edition of the fair, Freshuelva has made a special emphasis on the healthy and nutritious qualities of berries, as well as their culinary possibilities. In this sense, it is important to highlight the clinical trials promoted by Freshuelva that are being carried out to study the beneficial effect that the consumption of strawberries has on health. And all this without giving up on a commercial work always present with its sights set on new markets such as Saudi Arabia, and with special attention to the Chinese market, since the Canadian market has already been opened for strawberries and blueberries.