Nairobi, May 11, 2018. A campaign to attract national and international buyers of fresh produce from the region will be launched during the first edition of the Fresh Produce Africa (FPA) exhibition set to be held in Nairobi next month.
The event’s organisers, HPP International Exhibitions Group, says the trade expo will be held alongside International Floriculture Trade Fair (Iftex) from June 6 to June 8, at the Visa Oshwal Exhibition Centre in Westlands, Nairobi. It is designed to serve the specific needs in the Kenyan fresh produce industry.
“Kenya, being one of the most important fruit and vegetable producing countries in Africa, is in urgent need for its own platform where growers, suppliers and buyers of the vegetable and fruit sector can meet,” said Dick Van Raamsdonk, Director General, HPP Exhibitions Group.
Speaking on the sidelines of a series of planning meetings for the expo, Raamsdonk said they will provide an opportunity for growers to present their fresh produce ready for exports to buyers. “Suppliers will also have a chance to showcase to both growers and buyers of fresh produce their latest technology solutions and innovations as well as value added processing and packaging methods for improved efficiency in fresh produce operations,” he said.
To encourage farmers, registration fees will be waived while floor space charges for the first 12sqm and stand construction costs will also be free of charge. “The aim is to increase the volume of fresh produce exported from Kenya,” he said.
Raamsdonk said they are inviting buyers from abroad instead of taking growers and their products to foreign exhibitions. “We will bring together marketers and merchandiser of fresh produce from all over the globe,” he added.
The campaign, which is targeting at least 50 fresh produce exhibitors, will run for three weeks before the official launch of the expo on May 22. Already, 36 companies have shown interest in participating.
