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UAE-Italy GreenTech boost: Agrilevante to drive agricultural growth
The UAE and Italy have been enjoying a strong bilateral trade and investment relations, but Agrilevante will set the stage to increase cooperation in green technology (GreenTech) to bolster the agricultural development of the second biggest economy of the region, experts say.
Top executives and organisers of Agrilevante, an exhibition dedicated to technologies for specific usage in Mediterranean agriculture, said the agricultural machinery market in the UAE is experiencing a significant and prolonged growth phase and it will continue in the coming years.
'The value of agricultural machinery export to the UAE has been more than doubled in the past four years from €108 million in 2021 to €234 million last year,' Fabio Ricci, Deputy Director of FederUnacoma, the Italian association of agricultural machinery manufacturers, told BTR on the sidelines of an event in Dubai recently.
Referring to the data of the research company Exportplanning, Ricci said sales of agricultural machinery to the UAE recorded an impressive 35% growth during the 2021-24 period and the upward trend will continue in the short and medium term at a slower pace but still on average of no less than 5% pe annum.
'At present, Italian agricultural machinery manufacturers are among the main suppliers of the UAE and accounted for 6.8% market share of Made in Italy products to the emirate,' he said.
Milk processing systems, seeding, transplanting and fertilizing solutions and livestock farming machinery are the main product categories of Italian companies export to the UAE, according to national statistics bureau Istat.
'China, which holds 28% market share of the UAE's agricultural machinery, offers products at very affordable rates but Chinese manufacturers are not very innovative and their products do not cater to requirements of the emirate's agriculture sector affected by prohibitive environmental conditions. Lack of arable land, scarcity of water resources and extremely unfavourable climatic characteristics are some of the main challenges that the primary sector has to deal with and provide the solution,' said an Italian entrepreneur attending the event.
Ricci said only an innovative and advance technology, with the support of machinery and systems specifically designed to counter the critical environmental factors, can address the challenges being faced by the primary agricultural sector of the UAE.
'The 2025 Agrilevante exhibition to be held in Bari from October 9-12 will become an enormous platform to offer vast range of specific solutions for each crop in the UAE and more generally in the Mediterranean basin. It will be an ideal platform to explore the needs and priorities of the agricultural economies,' Ricci said.
Italy — A Preferential Partner
Valerio Soldani, Director of the Italian Trade Agency Office in Dubai, shed light on bilateral trade and investment relations and said both the countries are expected to further strengthen their relations on agriculture front.
'Italy is proving itself to be a preferential partner to bolster the agricultural development of the UAE. We have strong presence in the emirate and are expecting significant participation from the UAE companies and businesses in Agrilevante 2025 edition,' Soldani told BTR.
Over 95,000 visitors including 4,000 foreigners from 27 countries, attended the previous edition of the exhibition in 2023 where 350 exhibiting industries from 20 countries showcased their products and technologies.
Italian Trade Agency in collaboration with FederUnacoma, will be engaged in business to business meetings with the exhibiting industries to organise the foreign delegates for the exhibition in October. About 120 foreign delegates representing 38 countries including the UAE are expected to come and experience the latest agricultural technologies and machinery during the four-day event.
Federica Tugnoli, Secretary of Comagarden, said Agrilevante 2025 will open its door in October with new features such as robotic technologies for primary agriculture sector, a rich programme of meetings and conferences focusing most relevant topics in agriculture and technology, and innovation competitions to promote agriculture sector and green maintenance.
'We will introduce Levante Green for the gardening sector and the visitors will see the most advanced machines and equipment for maintaining green spaces that has become an essential element of contemporary urban landscape and an important factor of well-being of life in the ity,' Tugnoli told BTR.
Comagraden represents gardening machinery and equipment manufacturers within the FederUnacoma, which account for 80% of Italian production with exports accounting for 65% of this production. It plays an important role in connecting the Italian industries to perspective buyers in the Middle East, Asia and Europe through exhibitions, conferences and B2B meetings.
'We've seen a rising demand in the UAE and Gulf region for high-quality gardening equipment as parks, luxury resorts, golf courses and sports facilities are expanding rapidly, setting new benchmarks for beauty and sustaibnibility. Italy is the third largest supplier of gardening machinery and applications and the Emirati market offers huge business opportunities to the Italian industries,' she said.
