Fruit Logistica to Nurture Investment in Provence

Provence Promotion will attend alongside the Pays d'Arles and Via Marseille Fos.

Berlin will be playing host to the international Fruit Logistica show from February 7 to 9, 2018. As a major player in the world trade of fresh produce, Provence will of course be sending a strong representation. Provence Promotion will be there with the double task of representing the region's agribusiness industry and attracting investment in its logistics sector. Alongside its partners, the Pays d’Arles intercommunalities and the Via Marseille Fos port community association, Provence Promotion will be showcasing the assets that makes the region stand out from its international competitors. Of the business meetings scheduled some will be sector-specific and some will have elements common to the two. The companies, producers, processors or distributors, are all aiming to either conquer the French market or extend their operations towards the Mediterranean.

With 3000 exhibitors and 76,000 visitors expected to attend, Fruit Logistica is one of the key international events for the fruit and vegetable trade. Each year, professional from around the world gather at the show, with France being one of the best represented countries.

For Provence Promotion, it will be a first participation. The agency will be present alongside the Pays d’Arles to promote the region's assets and advantages, its know-how, businesses and the potential for innovation in the Provence agribusiness sector.

Ten companies, all with different areas of expertise, will be exhibiting together on stand A-13 - Hall 22, under the banner "The Provence Taste":

• a specialist in fertilizing solutions: Delbon;
• an expert in dietary balance: Nutréine;
• a packaging manufacturer: Cavare Packaging;
• a fruit and vegetable trader: Trad’union Fruits et Légumes,
• and several producers and artisans including Reveny, Terre de Crau, Les Pousses de Stef, Croc’au Sel, La Boîte à Herbes and Les Pressoirs de Provence.

This assortment of companies is proof of the dynamic nature of the sector in Provence, which is France's leading producer of flowers and fresh fruit and vegetables and boasts an exceptional number of days of sunshine each year. The record was again beaten in 2017 with a cumulated 3110.8 hours over the year. The region also has started moving towards organic produce, turning a large part of its agricultural land over to more sustainable and organic production.

Provence – A logistics hub for agribusiness

Provence Promotion will also be looking to showcase the region's logistics assets, in partnership with Via Marseille Fos, the association tasked with promoting the port facilities at Marseille Fos.

Stand F-08 - Hall 22 is where the agency will be meeting agribusiness producers and logistics specialists. The investment made in logistics platforms, access and combined transportation provides logistics companies with an advantageous environment for the transit of goods towards Europe and the Mediterranean.

Competitiveness is ensured thanks to fluid traffic flow management, with a computerized system and an AP+ unique portal, which will soon evolve to become Ci5 - Ci for cargo intelligence and 5 for the five transportation modes.

The Grand Port Maritime de Marseille boasts 13 cranes, including 4 "super post-Panamax", the largest in the world, and intends boosting investment in 2018 with an envelope of €82M. Lastly, the Fresh Food Corridor, the pilot refrigerated rail link project between Marseille and Rotterdam, could yield new opportunities in the future.

Provence Promotion has included Fruit Logistica in its tri-annual prospecting plan. Other recurring missions will be scheduled aimed at the agribusiness sector in several target countries.

For more information, please contact:

-> "Taste Provence", on stand A-13 - Hall 22
Contact: Yves Faverjon – Agribusiness project manager - Tel. +33 (0)685 906014

-> Via Marseille Fos, stand F-08 - Hall 22
Contact: Gayané Faravel-Shahinyan – Logistics project manager - Tel. +33 (0)685 906013