Event News

The 42nd international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable sector will be held from 6-8 May 2025 at the Rimini Expo Centre in Cairo. (Image source: Macfrut)

The presentation of the 42nd edition of Macfrut 2025 was held in Cairo and is expected to be even more innovative and spectacular

Held at the Rimini Expo Centre, Macfrut is the industry’s only international supply chain trade fair and is a unique event that combines three key elements for the sector’s growth: business, networking and knowledge. With Egypt as the international partner, Lazio as the Partner region and potatoes in the spotlight, the International Symposium on Biotechnological Tools in Horticulture, thematic focus sessions with a new addition, ‘The Healthy Food Show’, will be presented in an innovative and spectacular way. These are just some of the novelties of the 42nd edition of Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable sector, which will be held from 6-8 May 2025.

Egypt is a strategically located Mediterranean country that has long chosen Macfrut as the world’s leading showcase for the growth of its fruit and vegetable sector. During the three-day trade fair, Egypt will play a central role with events, tastings, meetings and international presentations, supported by a large institutional and business delegation. With this international partnership, Macfrut continues to strengthen its ties with the Middle Eastern countries, which are an increasingly important market for the sector. 

The Lazio region, known for its certified quality products, will take centre stage at the 42nd edition of Macfrut, with various products such as PDO chestnut, PGI artichoke, PDO potato and PDO hazelnut, among others featured at the three-day event and presented in detail to an international audience as part of an extensive programme of initiatives. 

As one of the world’s most widely grown crops, with a global production area of around 18 million hectares, potatoes will be the star product of the 2025 edition. The trade fair will host the International Potato Symposium, a two-day event featuring in-depth discussions on technical, agronomic and market issues with international experts, global stakeholders and leading researchers in the sector. 

For the first time, Macfrut will host the Biotechnology Symposium, sponsored by the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS), which promotes research in all areas of horticultural science. It will be an opportunity for plant biotechnology researchers and the production chain to meet. The aim is to present the latest technical and scientific information on technologies used in plant in vitro cultures, plant propagation and the creation of new, resilient and high-quality varieties.  

A number of themed exhibitions such as the Healthy Food Show, the Biosolutions International Event, the Plant Nursery area, the Spices & Herbs Global Expo, the Agrisolar Systems & Technologies, the Red Planet, the water revolution and Macfrut Field Solutions will showcase innovations that address issues in modern fruit and vegetable production. 

The event will bring together over 200 delegates, featuring more than 35 expert speakers. (Image source: SACEH)

TheRockGroup (TRG) in South Africa, the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN), and Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K) have united to present the South Africa Circular Economy Hotspot 2024 (#SACEH24) which is scheduled to take place on 19 and 20 September 

Generously hosted at the vibrant Hasso Plattner d-School Afrika at the University of Cape Town, the event will bring together over 200 delegates, featuring more than 35 expert speakers, including: Professor Linda Godfrey – Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Hélène Rekkers – Netherlands Consul-general in Cape Town, among others. 

The event will showcase 25 exhibitors presenting sustainable and circular solutions in South Africa, and participants will also have the opportunity to engage with panelists discussing critical topics around circular practices. Interactive field trips to regenerative destinations will immerse participants in on-the-ground experience of best practices in circular economy solutions.

#SACEH24 is a call to action for various stakeholders from diverse geographic regions to foster a more holistic, inclusive, and effective approach to advancing circular economy principles in Africa. Media partners are invited to engage with leading innovators, policymakers, and changemakers shaping the future of the circular economy in Southern Africa. This is an unmissable opportunity to be part of the conversation driving sustainable change. 

The Young Farmers Day is the central meeting place for all those at the beginning of their career in agriculture and agribusiness. (Image source: DLG)

On 14 November, the DLG (German Agricultural Society) is organising the Young Farmers Day, which attracts young people from Germany and from countries across Europe

Young professionals, entrepreneurs, students and apprentices can benefit from EuroTier’s extensive information for young career starters. On 13 November, the focus of the exhibition will be on the next generation, with young breeders having the opportunity to meet and network at the cross-species Young Breeders' Meeting. In addition, the Job Wall offers a compact overview of current job advertisements in the agricultural industry. The day programme will cover talks, presentations and networking events, and will take place in Hall 13.

The Young Farmers Day is the central meeting place for all those at the beginning of their career in agriculture and agribusiness. The event caters to the needs of the entire young segment which includes young farmers, students, pupils and young professionals in the agricultural upstream or downstream industry. With the panel discussion: 'Increasing animal welfare, surviving globally - is that possible?' Rebecca Derstappen from the Thünen Institute, Germany; Verena Beck, Brand Fleisch; and Jörg Struve, Struve Agrar will talk about higher animal welfare standards and higher production costs, a situation that has led some producers and players in the meat industry to address their international competitiveness.

Three keynote speeches on the topic of direct farm sales will take place, followed by another panel discussion exploring how cows can be viewed as climate pests. Other presentations will focus on biogas plants and alternative housing options to the conventional animal housing.

Ideal for young career starters is another panel discussion titled: 'Herd management programmes - the foundation for your success in dairy cattle management,' which allows attendees to learn how a herd management programme can help them develop the skills they need for a successful future in dairy farming. 

At the last talk of the day, 'Junge DLG: Your springboard to the future,' young visitors will learn what it means to be part of the Junge DLG network and how to get involved. In addition, the Junge DLG is organizing a “Guided Innovations Tour” of the exhibition grounds in cooperation with the two German universities of Kiel and Weihenstephan. 

To celebrate the end to a successful day, the event will culminate in the Young Farmers Party which will offer young farmers a well-deserved break away from the hard day-to-day work. The party will take place on the evening of 14 November from in the Munich Hall at the Hanover exhibition grounds.

21st.BIO is supporting customers in upscaling their production all the way to full-scale ingredient production. (Image source: 21st.BIO)

Precision fermentation platform provider 21st.BIO has earned a self-affirmed GRAS status for its animal-free beta-lactoglobulin ingredient, BLG Essential+, which means customers can now launch in the US market

This breakthrough comes less than two years after 21st.BIO initiated its development of a strain and production process for its beta-lactoglobulin protein, BLG Essential+, demonstrating the power of the Company's approach, unique expertise and differentiated precision fermentation platform.

Through 21st.BIO's BLG programme, customers gain access to the world's most advanced production strains and precision fermentation processes - and optimisations over time. Furthermore, 21st.BIO is supporting customers in upscaling their production all the way to full-scale ingredient production. The Company's diverse global customer base spans food-tech start-ups to large food ingredients manufacturers. BLG Essential+ is the first food protein out of a portfolio of protein ingredients that 21st.BIO will take to the market via this model. 

With a strong track record and productive microorganisms licensed from Novonesis (formerly Novozymes), 21st.BIO is bringing solutions to market at an unprecedented pace, enabling customers to bypass years of development and market approval for direct entry into the US market and empowering customers to produce any food, materials, agriculture, or biopharma-related protein or peptide of interest, and scale production to industrial levels to ensure large-scale availability and cost-effectiveness.  

"We're not just a technology provider - we're a partner to our customers' on their product journey, ensuring their success from development to full-scale manufacturing. We make products, not projects," said 21st.BIO co-founder and CEO Thomas G. Schmidt. "Our ambition is to empower our customers to focus more on application, business development, low-cost production and innovation. And this shows all the way through our business model, which is designed such that our success at 21st.BIO depends on our customers' success in the market with a product; not just on project completion."