Third edition of the Tropical Fruit Congress to be held at Macfrut 2022

MACFRUT will be presenting several vertical technical focus sessions, which are meant to enhance the content offered during the upcoming 39th edition, including the third edition of the Tropical Fruit Congress. Coordinated by NCX Drahorad, it will take place on 6 May, with a spotlight on avocados: this tropical fruit is increasingly attracting the attention of sector professionals and consumers for its superfood qualities and fact that it can be consumed in many different ways. ‘The aim of the Tropical Fruit Congress is to provide a unique opportunity for professionals in the industry to exchange views and keep up to date on market trends, technical innovations and best practices in logistics and trade,’ says Thomas Drahorad, President of NCX Drahorad. ‘International speakers will be attending, including experts, buyers and producers from the main regions of the world where avocados – which have been defined as the 2020 sensation in the world of superfruits – are produced and consumed.’ If we look at the 2016-2020 five-year period, avocado consumption has increased exponentially in many European countries, including Poland (+123%), Germany (+119%), Italy (+ 107%), Spain (+ 100%), Denmark and France (+22%), Sweden (+13%) and the UK (+5%). Europe’s largest consumer of avocados in terms of volume is France (144,015 tonnes/year), followed by Spain (114,599 tonnes/year), Germany (104,452 tonnes/year) and the UK (100,913 tonnes/year), while the top countries in terms of per capita consumption are Denmark (2.81 kg), Spain (1.61-2.44 kg), the Netherlands (1.34-2.41 kg), the UK (2.19 kg), France (2.14 kg) and Sweden (2.09 kg). (source: ICI business data reprocessed by Myfruit) Thomas Drahorad adds: ‘Italy shows great potential. In fact, according to large-scale retailers, tropical fruit consumption in Italy has increased by up to 30% per year, but still few Italian families buy avocados, which account for 17% of tropical fruits purchased (only one in six families has bought an avocado in the last 12 months). Growth trends are likely to continue in the coming years and, as the focus on quality increases, household penetration is also expected to rise.’ The Tropical Fruit Congress will include a conference, technical workshops and a thematic exhibition area. It will be a great chance to gather information on these trends and analyse them, as it will allow participants to find out how they can play a part in promoting the consumption of avocados by adopting strategies based on quality, sustainability, knowledge of market dynamics and a focus on consumers.