site.btaUPDATED 9th Edition of Agra, Vinaria and Foodtech Exhibitions Open in Plovdiv

The 9th edition of three International Plovdiv Fair exhibitions - Agra, Vinaria and Foodtech, opened in Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, on Tuesday. Participating are 580 companies from 21 countries. "The number of participants has increased by 25%, going to show that the crisis has not killed all enthusiasm of agricultural producers," Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev said in his opening remarks.

He said that the exhibitions are a meeting point for research and development with practice, "of the latest achievements with the people with ambition to implement them". 

On the Minister's invitation, among the guests is his counterpart of Kosovo, Faton Peci. Vatev said that there is a huge potential for bilateral relations with Kosovo, which expects from Bulgaria products including foods, drinks and grain.

In 2023, Bulgarian wines won 127 gold medals at international competitions, Krasimir Koev, Executive Director of the Executive Agency for Vine and Wine, told the press. According to him, there are 360 wineries in the country, including 109 of them with foreign participation. Bulgaria has is 60,000 ha of vineyards, including 15,800 ha with designation of origin. In 2023, Bulgaria imported 11.266 million litres of wine, which is 10% of the total amount of wine sold in the country, Koev said. "This is not due to restrictions, but because Bulgarian wine is better," he commented.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by Vice President Iliana Iotova, MPs, Plovdiv Regional Governor Ilia Zyumbilev, representatives of the local government and foreign missions in Bulgaria. 

In her remarks at the opening of the three exhibitions, Vice President Iotova said that there is a need for "a common, big, smart, deep and sensible agricultural policy, so that we can think about the future as well". She said all agricultural producers in Europe need such a policy.

She said the Green Deal "is good but should not cause any detriments and should offer opportunities for development", as well as help producers deal with unfair competition from third countries which don't have a tough European regulations.

She said that Bulgarian and European farmers "are not terrorists but people who want to protect their work". "That is why we shouldn't be angry at the protestors but support them when their demands are just," she added.

Iotova commended Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev for supporting Bulgarian producers in their fight for more Bulgarian products on the market.

"It is a shame for an agricultural country as Bulgaria to import 80% of its produce," Iotova said. 

The accompanying program of Agra, Vinaria and Foodtech includes more than 50 events and the same number of innovations in the field of plant growing, animal husbandry, wine industry and food industry. Within the framework of the exhibition, which will end on 24 February, there will be International Tasting and Golden Rython Competition, Innovation Competition, Consumer's Choice Competition, Plovdiv Street Food Fest.

Foodtech is the international exhibition for food and drinks, packaging, machinery and technology, presenting the best of the food industry: clean and healthy products; gourmet delicacies and modern gastronomy; state-of-the-art processing and storage technologies; demonstrations, tastings and master classes. An essential part of the show is an area where equipment for processing of raw materials, for food production, for sorting, packaging and labeling is displayed and demonstrations are held. A designated area, City of Wine and Delicacies, set up as part of the exhibition is consistently expanding its territory.

Agra aspires to be a trade hub for agribusiness in Southeastern Europe. The exhibition covers all aspects and sectors of agriculture: research, practical work, technologies, equipment, products, innovations, and services.  It attracts leading manufacturers and traders. The exhibition is farmers’ first-choice source of information about products and services, a marketplace for machinery and equipment and a place to share ideas and experiences. 

Vinaria is an international exhibition of vine-growing and wine making and claims to be the most prestigious platform for the wine industry in Southeast Europe. It showcases a rich selection of drinks: from traditional local products to global brands, from well-established to new tastes and modern flavors in the wine and spirits catalogs. Participants bring here their products and innovations it presents in the field of grape varieties, processing methods and equipment, and quality control systems.

The exhibitions are held under the auspices of the Agriculture Ministry.