Agrilevante: the great showcase of Mediterranean agriculture

The press conference held to open Agrilevante 2025, the international exhibition of machinery and technologies for Mediterranean agriculture, which will be held at the Bari Fair from 9 to 12 October took place at the CIHEAM in Valenzano (Bari). The Valenzano Center is a symbolic place of technological innovation and higher education in agriculture, as well as a point of reference for all the countries of the Mediterranean area. "CIHEAM Bari and FederUnacoma have built a solid collaboration with numerous initiatives developed in various Mediterranean countries and beyond. CIHEAM Bari offers training, research and international cooperation activities that promote local economic development in rural areas by introducing innovations in the agricultural and environmental fields", said Deputy Director Biagio Di Terlizzi. “Together with FederUnacoma we promote partnerships in third countries in which - added Di Terlizzi - Italian technologies, through demonstrations and training of technicians, can contribute to improving productivity in settings where achieving food safety is strategic”. After all, research and innovation are the very soul of the Agrilevante exhibition, which will occupy all the facilities of the Bari Trade Fair, with over 350 manufacturing industries from 20 countries and more than 90,000 operators expected to arrive from 60 countries.

With this exhibition, the Bari Trade Fair proves itself to be an essential "hub" for the technological and commercial development of a vast area, which includes Southern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. “The collaboration undertaken with FederUnacoma represents a strategic objective for us. The joint efforts of exhibitors and companies at cultural events and conferences, and everything that this event represents, all work togather to show us what a fundamental opportunity it is for the development of the Mediterranean”, said the president of the Nuova Fiera del Levante Trade Fair, Gaetano Frulli. “We, together with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), offer services and facilities, and make every effort to ensure that FederUnacoma finds everything it needs at our location. For the 2027 event we will provide a new pavilion, currently in the design phase and financed by the Region of Apulia, as part of the expansion of the Fair grounds. Our contribution also includes services and infrastructure with the intent for Agrilevante to become well-established as a stable and long-lasting biennial event. This is what we have to offer to support the growth and success of the event. I am sure that the 2025 Agrilevante event - added Frulli - will be important for our territory. Understanding the quality of the exhibitors and representatives, we also began to develop a specialized trade fair in the fruit and vegetable sector, attention to which was also generated through its connection with Agrilevante. I am sure that this year's trade fair will have everything it takes to be an even greater and higher value experience".

The event, described in detail by Mariateresa Maschio and Simona Rapastella,  President and General Manager, respectively, of FederUnacoma, the Confindustria association that represents the manufacturers of machinery for agriculture and greenery care, is organized in synergy with the City of Bari and with the Department of Agriculture of the Apulia Region, as well as in close relationship with the Universities and with professional agricultural organizations, and Ara Puglia for the livestock aspects. “The city of Bari is pleased to host the latest  Agrilevante exhibition at a moment in history in which the entire supply chain is called upon to deal with the effects and challenges of climate change, which in our latitudes means first and foremost a drastic reduction in water availability,” stated Elda Perlino, Councilor for Climate, Ecological Transition and the Environment of the City of Bari. “Agrilevante will be an opportunity to explore the latest industry developments, especially in an area like ours with its historical agricultural framework, and to bring the main players in the sector into dialogue while keeping the focus high on the sustainability of processes, on food safety and on the forms of self-production that are increasingly encouraged, even on an urban scale”.

The primary sector's activities are in fact of strategic importance for the productive fabric of the city of Bari and, more generally, of a region like Apulia, which is distinguished by its strong drive towards investments in high-tech agro-mechanical systems. “We are in the midst of an ecological and digital transition, a revolution that sees agriculture at the center of European policies, whose underlying strategy is precisely that of moving in the direction of innovation. At present - said Luigi Trotta, director of Competitiveness and Agri-food Supply Chains of the Region of Apulia - high-tech solutions are already available, which need to be put to use to reduce the costs of agricultural enterprises and to reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment that go in the direction indicated by the rural development plan of Apulia, the national CAP plan and the European strategy". On the sidelines of the press conference, the Councilor for Agriculture, Water Resources, Water Protection and Hydraulic Authority, Donato Pentassuglia, stressed the great attention of paid by regional policies to the issue of technological transition. “Apulia, a land with a heavy dependence on agricultural work, has made giant steps in recent years in terms of innovation and modernization. Companies - commented Pentassuglia - thanks to targeted regional policies and strategies, in line with the CAP guidelines, are taking up the challenge of technological development in production processes for modern, sustainable and resilient agriculture". “Agrilevante is not only an important showcase for latest generation machinery and applications, but is also a place to share, compare and exchange awareness and knowledge of good practices, in a relevant segment such as precision agriculture. The exhibition – concluded the council member – is a highly anticipated event for technicians, professionals, and companies in the agricultural and forestry sectors. For this reason, as a Region, we believe it is important to welcome and support an event that further strengthens the leading role that agriculture in Apulia has at a national level and beyond".