ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA powers ahead

ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA, Asia’s leading fresh fruit and vegetable trade fair, is set for a record showing in Hong Kong on 7-9 September 2016. With two months to go before ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA opens its doors at AsiaWorld-Expo, the area of exhibition space sold has already surpassed last year’s total, with 15 per cent more stand space booked. Exhibitors from some 37 different countries have registered to showcase their products and services, and there are 23 national pavilions booked. Egypt and Australia – which have been among the top-five exhibiting countries at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA over recent years – have expanded their space by 30 per cent and 24 per cent respectively compared with last year’s total.  Many other countries are ramping up their presence, albeit from lower bases. Exhibiting nations from within Asia are leading the way. As of late June, Pakistan (+170 per cent), Thailand (+100 per cent), Korea (+83 per cent) and Japan (+39 per cent) had already registered sizeable increases in exhibition space. European countries such as Germany (+63 per cent), Greece (+71 per cent) and Spain (+68 per cent) are also among the big movers. Novelty on displayVisitors to ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA will find plenty of novel products and services on offer at this year’s show. Latin American exporting country Colombia is making its debut appearance. Renowned for being a major banana exporter, Colombia is also one of the world’s most bio-diverse countries, producing a wealth of exotic fruits – and it is now carving a niche in global markets for a range of products, whether it be avocados, mangoes or physalis. Asia’s berry business is burgeoning, driven by growing consumer demand and increasing awareness of the fruit’s health benefits. Exciting sources of supply are also emerging – some of which will feature though first-time exhibitors such as Joyfarm, which exports organic strawberries from Korea, Soloberry, which represents berry growers in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and leading Polish blueberry grower-exporter BerryGroup. An array of apple brands will also be on display at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA. Ambrosia, the bi-coloured apple that was discovered in British Columbia, Canada, in the early 1990s – and is now grown under licence in Canada, the US, Chile, New Zealand and Europe – will have its own stand at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA for the first time this year. Visitor registrationsWell over 9,000 top-level buyers and trade professionals from more than 70 countries are expected to attend ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA. Visitors can purchase their tickets online at www.asiafruitlogistica.com/tickets and make up to a 40 per cent saving on their entrance fee compared with buying tickets on the door. The exhibition is the core of the ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA business week, which also features a rich programme of three conference events. It all gets under way with ASIAFRUIT CONGRESS, Asia’s premier fresh produce conference event, which takes place on 6 September, the day before ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA opens its doors. On the first day of ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA (7 September), COOL LOGISTICS ASIA, the conference dedicated to perishable logistics, returns for its second edition. New for 2016 and taking place on the second day (8 September) is SMART HORTICULTURE ASIA – the first-ever conference for information management, standards, technology and robotics for Asia’s fresh produce sector For visitor enquiries on ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA, please contact:Claudia Bach by email: tickets@gp-events.com, telephone: + 49 30 3038 2373 or visit www.asiafruitlogistica.com. For more information on ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA, please contact:Sinenart Baramirattanachai by email: sinenart@gp-events.com, telephone: +66 2 941 4600 or visit www.asiafruitlogistica.com.