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Over 2,000 professionals to be enriched by fairtrade, says März

By Paula Eseghene
27 March 2018   |   3:16 am
Martin März is the founder and managing director of Fairtrade Messe. In this interview with PAULA ESEGHENE, he spoke on the forthcoming event. A brief background of Agrofood & plastprintpack fairtrade? The event, Nigeria’s fourth international trade show on agriculture, food, plastics, printing and packaging, is one of the most important agro-industrial exhibitions in Nigeria. Holding…

Food

Martin März is the founder and managing director of Fairtrade Messe. In this interview with PAULA ESEGHENE, he spoke on the forthcoming event.

A brief background of Agrofood & plastprintpack fairtrade?

The event, Nigeria’s fourth international trade show on agriculture, food, plastics, printing and packaging, is one of the most important agro-industrial exhibitions in Nigeria. Holding from March 27 to 29, 2018 at the Landmark Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, the show promises to consolidate its success story.

As a matter of fact, we are expecting more than 2,000 professionals to benefit from this occasion and discuss their businesses with leading suppliers from around the globe.  

What stands this year’s edition out?

This year, a record 140 exhibitors and more (+30%) from 21 countries are gracing the event. This makes agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria a highly attractive destination for professionals looking for new business opportunities or wishing to upgrade their existing equipment.

It is also the first time the event will see 10 national pavilions presenting latest technologies from Austria, China, Flanders/Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland and Turkey.

Moreover, market leaders from Algeria, Benin, Denmark, Jordan, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and Tunisia will present their solutions.

The three-day programme will round off with lectures, presentations and a panel of discussants.

What are the benefits of the event to an average Nigerian and the economy?

Such important topics on food safety, beverage products among are important to every Nigerian. We are convinced that the event would contribute significantly to improve the lives of the average Nigerians and better the society as a whole.

What are the timelines like?

The event opens between 10:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. on the Island, precisely Landmark Centre, on March 27 and 28 while the duration is from 10p.m.-4p.m. on March 29.

What informed the choice of Nigeria in the last four years?

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the seventh most populous in the world and the largest economy in Africa. Nigeria is an under-supplied and attractive consumer market due to its high population. The revival of agriculture and food production brings a lot of opportunities.

The country’s target is to become more self-sufficient in food production and substitute food imports through local production. Here, the foreign technology and knowhow suppliers can support the Nigerian agribusiness industry.

Since we started working in Nigeria in 2014, fair-trade was welcomed to Nigeria by all stakeholders both from within and outside. There has been a demand for us to organise professional trade shows.

Any partnership with government in the past four years?

Right from the first edition, we have partnered with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Institute of Packaging Nigeria (IOPN). Last year, we also started to collaborate with the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG).

For the 2018 edition, we will continue with these partnerships and add new Nigerian partners who will all also have a stand at the show and contribute through presentations to the conference.

The new partners are Access Bank, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Institute of Food Science & Technology (NIFST) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

What role can the government play in facilitating the movement?

The government should support all kinds of platforms for technology exchange such as agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2018 as the event continues to help in overcoming problems and challenges in the agribusiness industry.

Any further Information?

We will like to invite all Nigerian professionals in the agrofood, plastics, printing and packaging industry to benefit from this major international event.

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