Agrilevante, the 2023 edition starts from Ciheam in Bari
During the press conference presenting the event, Ciheam director Maurizio Raeli stressed the strategic role of mechanisation for food safety. Bari's deputy mayor Di Sciascio highlighted the importance of the event for the entire city of Bari, while regional councillor Pentassuglia reiterated the importance of innovation for the renewal and evolution of agricultural economies. FederUnacoma president and director general Alessandro Malavolti and Simona Rapastella also spoke.
The race towards the 2023 edition of Agrilevante starts from Bari's Ciheam - the international structure specialising in advanced agronomic training. This morning the Bari training centre hosted the press conference launching the international exhibition of machinery and technologies for Mediterranean agriculture, which will be staged at the Bari exhibition centre from 5 to 8 October. In front of the attending journalists, and in streaming connection from the countries of the Basin, the Director of Ciheam Maurizio Raeli noted not only the central role played by the institute in the development of agricultural knowledge and technology, but reiterated the importance of the partnership with FederUnacoma. "Today we are renewing, for the third time, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Federunacoma and Ciheam Bari, with the aim of promoting Italian know-how in mechanisation and technologies related also to the irrigation and precision agriculture sectors in third countries, where," Raeli explained, "food safety and Italian innovation can provide opportunities for development and employment".
In this perspective, the exhibition is part of a very complex but also very promising context for the development of mechanisation. This was pointed out in his speech by the president of FederUnacoma, Alessandro Malavolti, who highlighted both the criticalities caused by the reduction in water resources and the fragmentation of land ownership, and the potential for growth in the Mediterranean agricultural economies.
The Bari exhibition was structured precisely to respond to the demand for specific technologies for all the main supply chains in the area - explained FederUnacoma General Manager Simona Rapastella - with particular reference to the grain, livestock, wine, olive oil, and above all, fruit and vegetable sectors, and to show the new technological scenarios created by the most advanced electronic and robotic applications.
An event such as Agrilevante involves not only the Fiera del Levante Authority but the entire capital city. The great Mediterranean exhibition is a great challenge not only from an organisational point of view, but also on a cultural level - said the deputy mayor of Bari Eugenio Di Sciascio - because in this historical moment, with a war on Europe's doorstep, the issue of food safety and production models takes on a new centrality.
For an agricultural sector that must constantly progress, innovation is a natural process of evolution and renewal, for which it is necessary to propose a new approach. In this perspective - regional councillor for agriculture Donato Pentassuglia said at the end of the press conference - the Agrilevante exhibition must strengthen the role of agriculture as a lever for human development and as a factor for peace and solidarity among peoples.
The latest FederUnacoma press releases
In the first four months of the year, the US market increased by 7.6% imports of agricultural machinery made in Italy, thus becoming Italy’s main trading partner in the agromechanical sector. Italian machines appreciated for innovative content, customisation possibilities, reliability. The appointment with EIMA 2024 expected by US operators to familiarise themselves with the wide range of technological solutions able to meet every need of North American agriculture.
The Vice President of Confindustria, Maurizio Marchesini, the Deputy Secretary-General of FAO, Maurizio Martina, the President of ICE, Matteo Zoppas, and the economic analyst, Gabriele Pinosa, discuss strategies to address the new geography of agricultural production and agri-mechanical commerce. The assembly concludes with a message from the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, highlighting the incentive system and announcing the G7 Meeting of Agriculture as an opportunity to promote Italian agricultural and agri-mechanical products.
The year 2023 ends with a decline in tractor sales, but with an increase in revenue due to higher manufacturing costs. India remains the leader in terms of the number of units, while the United States and Europe record declines in sales, with a more substantial decrease observed in China. Climatic variables, as well as geopolitical factors, are increasingly crucial in different regions of the world.
The domestic market for agricultural machinery continues to decline. From tractors (-19.2%) to combine harvesters (-40%) and telescopic handlers (-28.3%), all types of agricultural machinery have seen a significant decline in sales compared to the same period in 2023. The decline is attributed to the reduction of 4.0 incentives, delays in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and the stagnation of agricultural incomes.