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POLYURETHANE INSULATION PANELS REVEALED AS MEGATREND ENABLER FOR WORLD'S LARGEST VERTICAL FARM
As the next megatrend in the field of agribusiness and nutrition, vertical farming is a space-saving, sustainable and efficient way of growing plants that promotes future global food security. However, as an indoor farming solution, internal temperature control and regulation remains critical to the success of vertical farms, especially in regions experiencing extreme summer temperatures such as the Middle East. Polyurethane insulation sandwich panels have been revealed as the cost-effective insulation and cladding solution installed on a major vertical farm project in Dubai, paving the way for other vertical farm developments elsewhere in the Middle East.
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Emirates Flight Catering, the inflight catering arm of UAEbased Emirates Airlines producing more than 55 million meals annually, recently opened the world’s largest vertical farm, Bustanica, located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. The 330,000 sq ft indoor facility will produce more than one million kilograms of highquality leafy greens including
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lettuces, arugula, mixed salad greens and spinach annually, while reportedly requiring 95 per cent less water than conventional agriculture.
The indoor hydroponic farm, built using polyurethane-based sandwich insulation panels, showcases the versatility of this best-in-class building material, while demonstrating its superior insulation and sustainability properties of this dynamic product when compared to alternative building insulation options, such as rockwool.
Supplied by Dubai-based system house, Pearl Polyurethane Systems and manufactured by its production partner, leading UAE panel manufacturer Emirates Industrial Panel (EIP), this cladding product is lightweight and quick to fit, as well as offering advanced fire and smoke resistant properties.
Commenting on the opening, Martin Kruczinna, CEO of Pearl Polyurethane Systems, said: “We are thrilled to support this world leading sustainable farming project by supplying our high-performance EcoPearl polyurethane material for the metal sandwich insulation panels installed on Bustanica together with our manufacturing partner, EIP. These panels comprise a rigid polyurethane foam core, laminated with metal sheets on either side, and are typically used as wall and roof cladding, to keep heat out by minimising thermal energy transfer.
“Key considerations for the vertical farm operators, as with any other building owner, is how to regulate the indoor temperature to ensure optimal crop harvests in the extreme Middle Eastern climate without using expensive cooling systems - effective building insulation is therefore critical. With rising energy costs, better insulation means less energy consumption, leading the fight against global warming. Pearl-supplied rigid polyurethane foam used in this project is by far the most superior means of insulation on the market and we are proud our EcoPearl product is a key component of this cutting-edge sustainable farming project as it achieves this world-first and serves as a megatrend enabler
promoting global food security,” added Kruczinna.
VERTICAL FARMING BUSINESS LEADERS PLAN CONGRESS IN ABU DHABI
Building on its rising prospects worldwide, the vertical farming industry will hold its first Middle East Congress from 12 to 14 December in Abu Dhabi.
“More Governments throughout the region are identifying vertical farming as integral to their strategies for healthy nutrition, local fresh produce and year round sustainability,” commented event organiser Richard Hall, Chairman of specialist food consultants Zenith Global.
“This inaugural Middle East conference will connect leading international and regional operators and suppliers alongside Government authorities, advisers, investors, customers and media,” he added.
With the theme of Strategy for SelfSufficiency, the first Vertical Farming Middle East Congress will be held in association with the UAE Food & Beverage Business Group and in partnership with FoodTech Valley (a joint initiative between WASL and the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment).
The 3 day event will include multiple presentations and panels, two evening receptions, round tables for best practice development and vertical farm tours in Dubai as well as Abu Dhabi.
Speakers confirmed so far include: • Keynote addresses from UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group and Carrefour. • World vertical farming leaders AeroFarms, Infarm, N.Thing and YesHealth. • Middle East innovators Al Aliyo, Beirut Farm, Natufia and Uns Farms.
The programme aims to raise the profile and awareness of Vertical Farming as well as support the development and growth of individual businesses through best practice and networking.
AIM FOR CLIMATE DRIVES CLIMATESMART AGRICULTURAL, FOOD SOLUTIONS THROUGH 30 INNOVATION SPRINTS
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), a global initiative led by the UAE and the US with the support of over 275 government and nongovernment partners, announced commitments of channeling increased investments in climatesmart agriculture and food systems innovation from 42 countries and over 235 non-governmental partners with a total value exceeding US$8 billion.
The announcement was made at a high-level event titled ‘From Sharm El Sheikh to the UAE and Beyond: Transforming Food Systems through Climate-smart Agriculture’, organized by the UAE at
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its pavilion during the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), running from November 8 to 16 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
In addition, the global initiative will see 22 new innovation sprints, bringing their total number to 30. Innovation sprints provide an opportunity for non-government partners to invest in specific, impactful, expedited efforts to drive the goals of AIM for Climate.
Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “A paradigm shift towards resilient, sustainable, productive agriculture and food systems is integral to tackle climate change and enhance food security. AIM for Climate is helping countries make that shift and has managed to exceed its target of securing investment commitments in climatesmart agricultural innovation worth US$8 billion. In addition, we are pleased to see our partner base more than triple – from 79 partners at COP26 to 275 at COP27. We will continue to raise the bar and mobilize even greater investments and coordinated support to drive global food systems transformation at the scale needed to counter our common challenges.”
She noted that food systems innovation is a key priority of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051. In this context, the country focuses on advancing R&D in saline agriculture and controlledenvironment agriculture (CEA).
Officially launched at COP26, AIM for Climate galvanizes support and investments for
BLUE CARBON AND ANGOLA’S MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY DELEGATION EXPLORE WAYS TO ACCELERATE TRANSITION OF ANGOLA INTO DE-CARBONIZED ECONOMY
Blue Carbon, recently founded in the UAE with an aim to support carbon removal projects around the world, hosted a four-day workshop for Angola’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry delegation in Dubai.
Commenting on the visit, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, the Founder and the Chairman of Blue Carbon said, “We see great potential in Angola because of its huge forests which are natural ‘carbon sink’ sites. Therefore, we are confident that Angola can play an instrumental role in the world’s efforts to fight climate change.”
It may be mentioned that Angola’s forests are spread on over 69.3 million hectares of land, 55.6 per cent of its total territorial area, with 68.9 million hectares of native (natural) and 61,000 hectares of planted rainforests. Leveraging on preserving its forests, Angola has a significant potential globally to fight the negative effects of the climate change. In order to collaborate with Angola in preservation of Angolan forests, Blue Carbon shed light on its newest and innovative solutions which play a key role in monitoring, reporting and verification of forest carbon, thus developing the most appropriate solutions.
As Blue Carbon supports carbon removal projects across the world, the discussion explored ways of bringing in nature-based solutions for Angola to help the country in its reforestation campaign.
Blue Carbon focused during the workshop on youth, being a significant segment of the Angolan population as the company underscored the importance of building local capacities in Angola via enabling sustainable knowledge and awareness programs as well as organizing workshops, webinars and e-learning sessions.
During the workshop, Blue Carbon also offered conducting national forestry inventory and aggregate data to Angola.
Participants of the workshop agreed that it is imperative to take constructive steps now in this direction, otherwise the world will have to face huge losses to prevent negative effects of climate change.
The participants stressed on the need to adopt serious measures for low carbon economy to ensure sustainability for generations to come.
Blue Carbon offers solutions to boost efforts needed to reduce energyrelated carbon emissions to net-zero level by 2050 in compliance with the Paris Accords, the participants of the workshop were informed.
Moreover, Blue Carbon serves as an enabler of blue and green economy operational frameworks that sets the agenda for the implementation of international climate agreements.
climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation to enable solutions at the intersection of global hunger and the climate crisis.
FOOD SECURITY & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AT THE HEART OF THE MIDDLE EAST STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
The 4th edition of VIV MEA, the international trade show from feed to food for the production & processing of poultry meat, eggs, fish and dairy in the Middle East and Africa, takes place from 20-22 November 2023. VIV MEA brings together the livestock world with 500+ global and regional suppliers from the entire supply chain of all animal species production. Strongly business-driven, with a clear focus on innovation, technology and scientific research, VIV MEA is by far the top show for the animal husbandry industry in the whole region since 2016 when the first edition took place.
Alongside the VIV MEA trade show, wholly focused on animal based protein as usual, the organizer VNU Europe will separately bring extra contents and products from suppliers of controlled environments and precision agriculture as well as innovations and technologies for smart food production, covering topics such as: plant based protein production; improved nutritional value and health; organic food concepts; increase yields programs; control pests solutions; water saving systems; energy use management; and more.
“At VIV MEA, we strive to bring delegations and industry leaders from all over the world to share their global perspective on a variety of agri-food topics. In fact, we are looking forward to welcoming approximately 8,000 visitors from around the world, and especially from the GCC,” affirmed Mrs. Renate Wiendels, Senior Project Manager, VIV worldwide.
VNU Europe invites all professionals in the field to save the date for an event of business networking, knowledge and future-focused discussions shaping the next standards in agri-food production.
Alltech, a global leader in the agriculture industry for more than 40 years, is proud to introduce Egalis®, a new range of high-quality silage inoculants that maximize nutrient quality, increase forage stability and reduce dry matter
EU FINANCED CAMPAIGN “EUNIQUE”
A product presentation event took place in the frame of the implementation of the EU financed campaign “EUNIQUE”, on Wednesday 9th of November 2022 at 19.30. pm, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Plaza Ballroom Dubai Deira Creek (Baniyas Road, P.O.BOX 476, Dubai, UAE).
During the event, the participants, professionals from the Horeca sector, importers, distributors had the opportunity to learn more about the promoted products, to be informed about their nutrient value from a special nutritionist and to savor their delicious flavors with plates specially prepared for the event.
The EU financed campaign “EUNIQUE” aims to promote the delicious European PDO and PGI products from Greece and Cyprus, to UAE and Saudi Arabia and increase their awareness.
Some of the participant products in the program are the delicious PDO olives, the full of flavors PDO cheeses and so many other delicious products from Greece and the delicious Loukoumi Geroskipou PGI from Cyprus.
To learn more about the EUNIQUE program visit the website: euniqueproducts.eu
loss to help maintain optimal animal performance. Egalis drives proper fermentation and assists epiphytic bacteria to control the fermentation through the use of specific bacteria.
“The Egalis range of products brings together decades of expertise in fermentation, utilizing bacteria strains specifically selected by Alltech scientists to maximize nutrient and dry matter protection,” said Matthew Smith, vice president at Alltech. “Together with our on-farm support teams and range of services, Alltech helps to improve fermentation to produce superior-quality silage, enabling producers to hold onto more of what they grow, from field to feed passage.”
UAE AND SAUDI ARABIAN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROFESSIONALS CONCLUDE SUCCESSFUL FRUIT ATTRACTION EVENT
Fruit Attraction 2022, the leading event for the global fruit and vegetable sector, has concluded following a successful event in Madrid, which welcomed international participants from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
As part of the Guest Importing Country Programme, among the Middle East buyers represented were Panada Retail Company and Waha Fruits Trading Company, both based in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at the event, a representative of Panda Retail Company said, “Fruit Attraction has evolved tremendously in recent years, giving exporters in Spain and other regions the opportunities to work with companies around the world in more innovative ways. Fruit Attraction remains one of Europe's most important fruit and vegetable events, where you can find suppliers from around the world all under one roof.”
The event, organised and
INDONESIAN STATE-OWNED AGROCHEMICALS COMPANY, PT PUPUK INDONESIA LAUNCHES UAE OPERATIONS
Indonesian State-Owned Enterprise (SOE), PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), is expanding opportunities for trade cooperation in ammonia, urea, NPK, and other products by opening a representative office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday, 31 October 2022. Through this expansion, Pupuk Indonesia hopes to further expand its trading businesses and gain broader access to raw materials and other industrial developments.
In his remarks, the First Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprise of the Republic Indonesia, Pahala Nugraha Mansury, stated that Pupuk Indonesia as the largest fertilizer producer in Asia plays an important role in the world fertilizer trade. In 2022, Pupuk Indonesia is predicted to achieve a revenue value of USD 6 billion or a two-fold increase in the last five years.
Pahala further stated that the opening of a representative office in Dubai by Pupuk Indonesia is a very strategic step because there are three initiatives that Pupuk Indonesia will develop in the future. “The first one is making sure that they have operational excellence, including supply chain efficiency. The second is about food security and optimization, where fertilizer becomes one of the key success factors to have a better food security. The third, we also believe that Pupuk Indonesia can also become one of the producers of the products related with the green and circular economy, such as through green ammonia, green hydrogen, or in the mid-term include blue ammonia and blue hydrogen,” Pahala explained.
Also present in the launch was the Consul General of Indonesia in Dubai, Kartika Candra Negara, who highlighted the close relationship between Indonesia and the UAE. He said “This launching is very timely. Why? Because we have seen that for the last three-five years, the relationship between Indonesia and UAE keeps on increasing exponentially. We can see how the trade relationship, the investment, the other sectors, people to people contact, and culture relationship keep on increasing,” said Kartika Candra.
hosted at the IFEMA MADRID exhibition centre in partnership with FEPEX, welcomed 89,535 professionals from 137 countries during the three-day event and 1,740 exhibitors from 57 countries.
Exhibitors were primarily made up of European countries representing Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium, as well as the Americas with exhibitors from countries such as Ecuador, the United States, Chile and Colombia, and from Africa.
Once again, Fresh Produce, the exhibition area for fruit and vegetable producers and traders, was the most populated area, accounting for 72%. However, this year’s edition also saw a 57% increase in the Fresh Food Logistics area and a near 100% increase in Smart Agro.
Organised by IFEMA MADRID and FEPEX, Fruit Attraction 2023 will be held from 3 to 5 October at the fairgrounds.
FERTIGLOBE, SCATEC, ORASCOM CONSTRUCTION AND THE SOVEREIGN FUND OF EGYPT START COMMISSIONING OF “EGYPT GREEN”
Fertiglobe, the strategic partnership between ADNOC and OCI N.V., the world’s largest seaborne exporter of urea and ammonia combined, the largest nitrogen fertilizer producer in the Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) region, and an early mover in clean ammonia, announced the start of the commissioning of the first phase of the green hydrogen plant in Ain Sokhna, Egypt, during an event at COP27, attended by Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre. Egypt Green, which is owned, built, and operated by Fertiglobe, Scatec ASA (OSE: SCATC), Orascom Construction (NASDAQ Dubai: OC: EGX: ORAS) and The Sovereign Fund of Egypt, marks an important milestone in the development of a green hydrogen ecosystem in Egypt and the broader African region.
The launch of the hydrogen facility comes as world leaders
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gather for the United Nations COP 27 Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, where they seek to accelerate global climate action through emissions reduction. Unless we make sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, global warming will exceed the Paris agreement’s goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In order to secure affordable, accessible and sustainable energy security for future generations, an accelerated shift to renewable energy and lower carbon intensity fuels is required. Green hydrogen, which is produced from water using renewable energy sources, has the potential to play a significant role in decarbonizing hard to abate sectors, such as heavy industries, power, and global shipping.
Ain Sokhna has a strategic position close to the Suez Canal Economic Zone with the possibility of using renewable electricity to develop an industrial hub near global shipping lanes.
Fertiglobe has a strong global network through its shareholders OCI N.V. and ADNOC and is an early mover in hydrogen and low carbon ammonia. The hydrogen tie-ins for up to 100 MW of electrolysis have already been installed at Fertiglobe’s two existing ammonia plants in Ain Sokhna.
INTERNATIONAL GREEN WEEK 2023: 15TH GLOBAL FORUM FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE MEETS TO DISCUSS THE TRANSFORMATION OF FOOD SYSTEMS
Under the heading ’Transforming food systems: a global response to multiple crises’, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir is extending an invitation to the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), which will take place from 18 to 21 January 2023 in Berlin. The GFFA is the leading international conference on major issues concerning the world’s farming and food
TOMATO GROWER REDGROW FROM BELGIUM EXPANDS WITH PHILIPS GREENPOWER LED TOPLIGHTING
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), world leader in lighting, will supply Belgian tomato grower Redgrow with LED grow lights again. After a number of successful years of cultivation with a combination of HPS and Philips GreenPower LED interlighting, Redgrow took the next step to a lighting installation with 295 µmol/m2. The Philips GreenPower LED toplighting compact (TLC) was selected due to the rising energy costs. The TLC made the transition from the existing HPS installation to LED easy for Redgrow and gave them the possibility to grow yearround.
In 2019, Redgrow made the transition from using only HPS lighting to a hybrid combination with Philips GreenPower LED interlighting, thereby raising the light level from 180 µmol/m2 to 255 µmol/m2. “Given the fact that the energy prices were rising, and we knew we were not going to make extensive use of the HPS, we raised the hours of use for the interlighting. Because of that we were able to use the interlighting for more hours than the HPS.” Alain Moortgat says. “This year we came to approximately 1000 hours of HPS and 2000 hours of interlighting. That was a lot more last year. With the low energy prices, we then came to 2000 hours of HPS and 3000 hours of interlighting.” In the meantime energy prices have gone up, which might affect lighting hours for coming season. At this moment we light the crop with the LED installation, and the HPS lights will hardly be used.”
Alain does see a difference in pruning: “Due to the high energy prices and less lighting hours, we had to prune at 3 tomatoes. In January we were back at 4, and now at the end of cultivation we almost leave everything, so up to 6 tomatoes. We planted our new crop back in August and started harvesting as of half of September.”
industries. The event will take place parallel with the International Green Week for the fifteenth time.
The focus of this year’s conference is on the transformation of global food systems. In addition to the climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity and Covid-19, the situation with the war in Ukraine is reaching crisis point. We are in danger of the largest global food supply crisis since World War Two. At the GFFA more than 2,000 international representatives of business, science, society and politics will discuss what action can be taken in order for a transformation of food systems to take place. The Agriculture Ministers’ Conference with around 70 ministers will be the political highlight of the event.
The focus is on these questions: • How can we create crisisproof food systems? • How can we create climatefriendly food systems? • How can we conserve biodiversity? • How can we cooperate better to ensure sustainable global food systems?
In order to discuss the comprehensive transformation of global food systems the GFFA 2023 will take the findings of the UN Food Systems Summit into account. The aim is to further the debate and explore ways of establishing partnerships at national and international level.
In addition to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) which is responsible for the event, a number of leading international organisations and players, including the EU Commission, the WTO, FAO and World Bank, are also taking part as organisers. The GFFA is organized by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
FOOD TECH VALLEY PARTNERS WITH TRADELING TO BOLSTER UAE’S FOOD ECOSYSTEM
Food Tech Valley, which is being developed by wasl Asset Management Group, is a UAE-government-led initiative that was announced in 2021 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that seeks to triple the UAE’s food production and position the nation as a global destination for the industry, partners with Tradeling, the MENA’s e-marketplace focusing on B2B transactions. The aim is to ensure a number of benefits for both parties and B2B buyers and sellers, as well as to bolster the primary goal of growing the UAE’s
self-sufficiency in food imports.
The agreement was signed at wasl Experience Center by Ahmed AlShaibani, Project Lead at Food Tech Valley, and Marius Ciavola, Chief Executive Officer at Tradeling, in the presence of senior officials from both entities.
Several key objectives were agreed upon to ensure that Food Tech Valley realises its potential of being a commercial hub for industry experts in the food ecosystem. Tradeling’s platform will grant business users access to food and agricultural technology products via easy payment solutions, logistics, warehousing solutions, and marketing and customer acquisition benefits. Food Tech Valley will establish a B2B marketplace powered by Tradeling to help support, connect and match buyers from across industries, including hospitality, which is host to F&B sellers who source local and international quality products and raw ingredients.
This collaboration will enable a digitalised trade experience that will support food producers by helping expand their businesses in the UAE. Tradeling will support local producers by accelerating their growth through the platform. Credit finance solutions will also be offered to select eligible companies, comprising flexible payment options for SMEs and start-ups.
FEED COST CHALLENGES AND HUGE MARKET OPPORTUNITIES: HIGHLIGHTS AT POULTRY AFRICA 2022
Nearly 1,600 professional delegates from 53 countries visited the 123 exhibiting companies at the 3rd edition of Poultry Africa, successfully concluded in Kigali, Rwanda.
The poultry broiler and layer industry of the Sub-Saharan Africa met in Kigali for a stimulating business gathering with global suppliers and international speakers of the feed to food poultry supply chain.
Poultry Africa 2022, the most complete trade show for poultry
ALIAXIS INVESTS IN FREIGHT FARMS, A WORLD LEADER IN VERTICAL FARMING TECHNOLOGY
Aliaxis SA, a world leader enabling access to water and energy through inventive fluid management solutions, announced that it will invest in Freights Farms, a world leader in vertical farming technology and software allowing 90 to 99% water savings compared to traditional farming.
Freight Farms was founded in 2012 in the United States, with the mission to enable access to locally produced food. Nowadays, the company has evolved into an industry leader working with a diverse portfolio of educational institutions, entrepreneurs, non-profits, resorts, and more — all across five continents. Freight Farms offers a platform of products and services for controlled environment agriculture, including the Greenery™ S, a modular hydroponic grow system and farmhand®, an Internet of Things (IoT) farm management software that creates optimal climates using live and historical data from growing operations and connects to the system via a proprietary controller design. Freight Farms employs 50 people.
This strategic partnership will be part of Water for Food business unit within Aliaxis Next, the newly created division of Aliaxis to select, incubate, nurture, and grow businesses from new domains to improve water management.
“Currently, 70% of fresh water is used for food production,” says Eric Olsen, CEO of Aliaxis. “By investing in Freight Farms, we are delivering on our Growth with Purpose strategy to help produce affordable, fresh and locally produced food with much less water. Freight Farms is at the forefront of innovation of vertical farming. This market is growing at more than 25% of compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and is expected to be superior to $10bn market by 2026.”
“Aliaxis is an ideal strategic partner to Freight Farms,” comments Fredrik Östbye, Head of Aliaxis Next.
“Agriculture is one of Aliaxis’s four main customer segments with three of our regions, India, Latin America and Australia, having strong ambitions in micro-irrigation, greenhouse technology and digital farming.”
professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa powered by VIV worldwide, kicked off with an exciting program and 22 Speakers at the Leadership Conference on October 4th. This high-level conference welcomed Industry Leaders and top sector players from many countries, among which Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, to name a few. The attendees experienced a full day of inspiring and informative presentations on African industry updates, sustainable poultry production, opportunities and challenges for the egg industry in Africa, innovative feeding solutions, and biosecurity for the African market.
The Poultry Africa 2-day Expo followed on October 5-6 presenting 123 exhibitors from 30 countries led by The Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium, France, Rwanda, India, Germany, Italy, United States, and Kenya.
A wide range of products covering the full supply chain were on display, among which farm production equipment, animal health ingredients and additives, feed production equipment, data management solutions, breeding and hatching, farming, slaughtering, processing and egg handling systems.
Around 1,600 professional visitors took advantage of this 3rd edition of the event. Major visiting profiles included poultry farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists, breeders, feed ingredient & additive manufacturers, feed milling and processing operators, poultry product and farm equipment distributors, packaging equipment manufacturers, as well as scientists, media and institutions. Rwanda counted for 55% of the total visitors, while the remaining 45% came from 53 countries, with the African continent participation head by Uganda, Nigeria,
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA MAKES STRONG RETURN
Global fresh produce industry celebrates coming together again at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022. Nearly 10,000 trade visitors from over 70 countries attend Bangkok show. Some 420 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions showcase products and services, with 18 national and group pavilions. Survey results underline high quality of trade visitors and buyers. Exhibitors report strong business meetings and outcomes. ASIAFRUIT CONGRESS and ASIAFRUIT BUSINESS FORUM programme packed with expert insights and lively discussions. Winners of ASIA FRUIT AWARDS 2022 announced at the show.
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA succeeded in reuniting the global fresh fruit and vegetable business in Asia.
High-level trade visitors from all over the world converged on Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on 2-4 November 2022 for the first in-person edition of ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA since 2019.
After a three-year break, exhibitors and visitors seized the opportunity to meet again with customers and colleagues, make new connections and contacts, and gain expert insights on the latest industry trends and innovations.
The trade show floor was buzzing as attendees made the most of getting back to doing business face to face. Many exhibitors reported back-toback meetings for all three days of the event and remarked on the high quality of buyers and trade visitors coming to their stands.
“We’re delighted ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 has concluded successfully in Bangkok this year, and we’d like to thank every single person who has taken part,” said David Axiotis, managing director of event organiser, Global Produce Events (HK) Co., Limited.
“Feedback from our exhibitors and visitors has been very positive, and it only strengthens our commitment to providing this highquality, efficient and leading trade platform for Asia’s fresh produce business.”
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA attracted nearly 10,000 trade visitors from over 70 countries. Thailand, India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Australia were the top five countries represented in terms of visitor numbers.
Visitor survey results confirmed the high quality of trade visitors, with 85 per cent of them responsible or closely involved in the purchasing and procurement decision-making process for their companies.
Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Cameroon, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. This marked an increase in the international audience, compared to the last edition.
WORLD FIRA 2023: ROBOTS PUT ON A SHOW IN OPEN FIELD FOR THE 7TH EDITION OF THE EVENT
Robots and autonomous solutions for a more sustainable agriculture are making their way onto farms. In the light of this development, World FIRA is also evolving by offering its 7th edition in the field from February 7 - 9, 2023. Expo, demos, conferences, networking and scientific symposium will be on the program of World FIRA 2023, for a unique event bringing together farmers, startups, innovators, researchers and students within the Agrobiopole Campus, on the outskirts of Toulouse.
While the global market currently includes 9.3 billion agricultural robots worldwide (most of them milking robots, but not only), specialists forecast that the number will reach 35 billion by 2030 (Source: Statista 2022 Agricultural robots: global market unit volume 2020-2030).
The World FIRA organizers have been talking about this infatuation for several years: "We see dozens of new robot projects and autonomous solutions for agriculture entering the market each year," says Gwendoline Legrand, co-director of GOFAR, the organizing association of World FIRA. "At the same time, more and more farmers around the world are sharing the challenges they face: increasingly scarce workforce, agronomic difficulties or the desire to improve their productivity and environmental impact are some of the main reasons they are interested in agricultural robots."
With this in mind, GOFAR has decided to renew its leading event by offering an edition that is 100% in the fields. "The main challenge being to welcome as many farmers as possible, we kept the event in the winter period," explains Maialen Cazenave, co-director of GOFAR. "We are therefore working with the FR CUMA Occitanie, which runs the open field demos, in order to offer cultivated plots, in line with the functionalities provided by the robot manufacturers."
STRONG PERFORMANCE OF EUROTIER AND ENERGYDECENTRAL: PIONEERING INNOVATIONS ENABLE TRANSFORMATION OF LIVESTOCK AND ENERGY
Strong performance for the EuroTier and EnergyDecentral 2022 trade fairs in Hanover, Germany. After four years, the world's leading trade fair animal farming and livestock management, as well as the leading trade fair for decentralized energy supply impressively showcased the innovative strength of both sectors. Over 1,800 exhibitors from 57 countries and more than 106,000 visitors from 141 countries travelled to Hanover from 15-18 November, 2022. With more than 400 professional events and conferences, the trade fair duo confirmed its leading position. Exhibitors and visitors expressed high satisfaction.
In challenging times, EuroTier was able to set important trends for the future development of the national and international animal husbandry industry. Organizer DLG (German Agricultural Society), together with its partners, presented an exhibition and technical program with the guiding theme "Transforming Animal Farming". Focusing on a successful future for the animal husbandry industry, the theme showed how, with technical innovations, increased productivity alongside an increase in animal welfare and sustainability can be achieved – in particular applying new solutions in the areas of digitization, automation and robotics.
The majority of exhibitors came from Germany, followed by the Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Turkey and the UK. China, Ireland and the USA followed in the other places. Exhibitors from Arab countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Algeria were also represented. The proportion of international exhibitors was around 60 percent.
Next EuroTier and EnergyDecentral will take place from 12-15 November, 2024 in Hanover, Germany.
Weeding, harvesting, sowing or data collecting: the demos will be an opportunity to see about twenty autonomous machines in action and in real conditions, and to discuss with the manufacturers in attendance.
World FIRA 2023 is now positioned at the crossroads, between the "CES of agricultural robotics", with many start-ups and innovations presented and an exhibition specialized in autonomous solutions for agriculture, with many robots and machines marketed and available now for farmers.
WORLD FIRST” BEEFREE HONEY MOVES A STEP CLOSER
Dutch plant-based ingredients pioneer Fooditive will begin large-scale production trials of the world’s first 100% beefree honey in the New Year.
By mass-producing a bioidentical honey that eliminates the need to intensively farm honeybees, Fooditive aims to create a scalable, provenanced supply. As well as providing all the benefits of traditional honey, this will address consumer concerns about animal welfare and sustainability.
Leveraging the same patented biotech process already used to create Fooditive’s revolutionary vegan casein, which was launched last year, honey DNA is copied into a proprietary strain of yeast. When fed with nutrients and precision-fermented to replicate the metabolic processes that occur in the honeybee stomach, this yields a product with the same characteristics and functionality of bee-produced honey – from taste, colour and viscosity to its health benefits.
The production trials will recreate the lab-proven concept in 1,000-litre fermenters, with samples to be made available for potential customers to try and test out in their own applications.
The development of Fooditive’s bee-free honey has been driven by concerns that common apicultural management practices in commercial beekeeping can be detrimental to the welfare of farmed honeybees and wild bee species that together play a vital role in pollination, increasing the risk of disease that can lead to colony collapse and declining wild population.
DGW AND DUBAI FISHERMEN CO-OP ASSOCIATION COLLABORATE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE FISHING SOLUTIONS
Dubai Government Workshop (DGW) and Dubai Fishermen Co-op Association have signed an agreement to foster sustainable solutions in the fishing industry by manufacturing fishing equipment from recycled materials. As part of this collaboration, DGW will provide the Association with equipment made from recyclable materials.
H.E. Fahad Ahmed Alraeesi, CEO of DGW, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in establishing sustainability within the fishing industry through recycling practices, consequently promoting the sector, and fostering environmental awareness.
Alraeesi said: “This agreement is in keeping with efforts to ensure the sustainability of fishing as a cultural and traditional heritage in the United Arab Emirates. DGW also aims at preserving the marine environment by supporting recycling efforts across all industries.”
Abdulnasser Alshamsi, General Manager of Dubai Fishermen Co-op Association, said: “The move is a part of the Association's commitment to empower and support fishermen in Dubai and to sustainably growing the fishing industry through practices that protect fisheries. We are excited to advance our partnership with DGW and broaden our cooperation in areas of shared interest, in keeping with our commitment to preserving the environment, helping Dubai's fishermen, and perpetuating this line of work that we have long carried on from our parents and grandparents.”
Furthermore, this partnership comes in continuation of both sides’ collaboration in implementing initiatives to support Emirati fishermen. The recycling of fishing tools campaign is one of these efforts, which was launched by DGW and the Association to support Emirati fishermen and promote employment in the fishing industry.