SANA, the international exhibition of natural and organic products has confirmed and reinforced its role, not only supporting agriculture and food production in the country, but also as the capital of the natural and organic sector, which is experiencing progressive development and becoming increasingly important for the environment and the economy.
Testament to this can be seen in the attendance figures for this edition, with 1000 exhibiting companies, 950 brand new products on display, 60,000 m2
of exhibition space and a significant presence of international buyers at the heart of a schedule of more than 2,500 meetings.
The event proved once again its ability to engage its visitors and create synergies between leading institutions and trade associations for the sector. The organic approach is good agricultural practice and a priority for Italy’s new government.
On the occasion of SANA – organised by BolognaFiere in collaboration with AssoBio and FederBio, with the support of the Ministry for the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and the Sea and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Tourism Policy, as well as ITA, the Italian Trade Agency and Cosmetica Italia – the new Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Tourism Policy, Teresa Bellanova, addressed the professional operators from the sector with an important message:
“Our goal is clear: to place agriculture and food back at the top of the country’s agenda, to support, even more and even better, quality, excellence, traceability, security and the positioning of our businesses and our products in Italy and the world. And this also in light of the data published at this event confirming that our country is a leader in Europe both for the number of businesses and for its 2 million hectares of organic certified land”.
“Good agriculture and good eating are essential, and that means, on our part, absolute support for quality businesses and at the same time a determined pushback against counterfeiting, food piracy and agricultural mafia, to false Made in Italy labelling and illegal employment practices in all of their forms. The increase in land destined for organic cultivation is a good sign but not obviously the only one. We want to work to make our production ever more sustainable and to ensure security for the consumer through rigorous controls. Also for this reason it is necessary to complete the legislation concerning the organic sector. Our businesses deserve rules that are clearer, more effective and less bureaucratic. On this front the role played by a fair like SANA, which is now an international reference point for the organic sector, is of great importance. I wish all of you well with your work and with the conclusion of the Fair.”
The statistics concerning for the Italian organic sector are testament to the sector’s dynamism: in Italy almost 2 million hectares of agricultural land are under organic cultivation (+3% compared with 2017, 15,5% of national agricultural land), the country is the European Union’s largest organic exporter (2 billion in annual revenues) and one of the world leaders in terms of the number of companies that transform organic products. SANA is the annual reference event for the sector.
“The success of this 31st edition of Sana, which is also an expression of the sector’s strong dynamism, and the search for further distribution channels for organic products, are at the heart of a new initiative by BolognaFiere,” explained Gianpiero Calzolari, president of
BolognaFiere, “that will facilitate contact between producers (organic food and non-food)
and the leading retail groups involved in grocery retail that each year in January come
together for MarcabyBolognaFiere, the Private Label Conference and Exhibition.
The initiative that we have called SANA UP, will present the latest innovations on display at Sana to the professional operators attending Marca 2020. In November 2019 we will also launch a training pathway to illustrate to the operators in the organic sector, the best strategies to pursue in order to enter into and grow within the grocery retail sector, which is becoming increasingly interested in the organic sector. In five years,” concluded Calzolari, “revenues of organic products in grocery retail have doubled: SANA UP has been created precisely to meet this market requirement.”
Maria Grazia Mammuccini, president of FederBio, commented, “A very important week for the organic sector has just concluded, beginning with the General Forum that saw the presentation of the points at the heart of the 2030 Manifesto, followed by the great success of the 31st edition of SANA and the Organic Festival.
The 2030 Organic Manifesto represents a tangible and important contribution that FederBio, together with AssoBio and BolognaFiere, propose to deliver a strategy that can measure up to the challenges that we face. Consolidating SANA’s leading role in the organic sector, this edition also enjoyed the declaration made by the new Minister for Agriculture Teresa Bellanova, who focused on the organic sector as an engine for the development of Italian agriculture.
The continuous growth of the sector requires a series of indispensable instruments to structure the business system in an appropriate way and ensure the respect for the founding values of authentic organic produce and, for this reason, it is fundamental that the legislation concerning organic sector is definitively approved soon. The Minister’s declaration is certainly good news for the organic sector and can be the beginning of a pathway for a planning strategy for the sector that can enable us to take advantage of the opportunities that the organic approach offers Italian agriculture. The data presented at SANA demonstrates the constant increase both in terms of the market and the number of operators and land involved.”
From the Green Revolution to the Organic Revolution
The “General Forum for the organic sector”, the initiative promoted by BolognaFiere in
collaboration with FederBio and AssoBio and with the support of ITA, concluded with the Opening Convention of SANA. The event saw the presentation of the “2030 Organic Manifesto”, the result of the debate involving the relevant institutions and trade associations, structured into 10 specific points:
1 – a type of agriculture that is active in tacking climate change
2 – the importance of an agro-ecological approach
3 – the reinforcement of the distinctive features of the organic sector
4 – the conversion of livestock breeding to an organic approach
5 – the crucial role of regulations and controls
6 – the fundamental role of innovation and the digital revolution
7 – models of territorial development
8 – information and the importance of traceability
9 – adoption of a national logo
10 – communication and awareness: promoting widespread food education and the role of
proactive consumers
“At AssoBio we are particularly pleased to have contributed alongside BolognaFiere to the
organisation of the event ‘From the Green Revolution to the Organic Revolution. The present and the future of the organic sector’. The meeting served to take stock of the current state of the organic market and, even more importantly, to create the manifesto for 2030,” explained Roberto Zanoni, president of AssoBio.
“The numbers are particularly satisfying both concerning Italy (growth in every sector) and the international scenario (growth of 10%), the latter point has helped Italy become Europe’s leading exporter of organic products and the second in the world after the United
States. Once again the associated companies have enjoyed the possibility to enter into discussions with international operators present at SANA, and to take advantage of significant business opportunities.”
The success of this edition also included the satisfaction of all of the professional operators from production to distribution, as well as the growing number of representatives from the HoReCa segment.
Notable satisfaction also in the Care&Beauty area. Renato Ancorotti, president of Cosmetica
Italia, announced, “The cosmetics sector has a very intimate relationship with its consumers, satisfying their requirements on a daily basis. We have seen during these days at SANA the numerous companies from the sector present in the pavilions dedicated to Care&Beauty have responded to the growing attention for products with natural connotations. The cosmetics sector last year generated 11.4 billion euros, of which 42% came from exports. Also at international level, in fact, our sector is recognised for its excellence that is distinctive for aspects of security, quality, reliability and research. These mainstays of the reputation of the national cosmetics industry have been promoted at the event through the project ABC cosmetics.”
The 2020 edition of SANA is scheduled to take place in Bologna from Friday 11 to Monday 14 September.
More information at sana.it
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