Green Week 2008 presents agriculture and food as the industries of the future

Berlin, 28 January 2008 – As the International Green Week Berlin 2008 drew to a close there were very positive assessments by the numerous representatives of business and politics, and also by exhibitors and the public. Agriculture and the food sector were on display here as the industries of the future from 18 to 27 January. The main focus of the exhibition was on food supplies and the quality and safety of foodstuffs, against a background of optimism on the part of the industry. Some 300 conferences were also held, at which experts from the entire agricultural sector discussed these topics in a context that is acquiring an increasingly global dimension. The Green Week reveals every aspect of the entire value-added chain, for the benefit of its trade visitors and the public alike. The specialist shows nature.tec and Multitalented Wood, dealing with subjects that will be of increasing importance in the future – bio-energy and renewable raw materials – attracted widespread attention among experts and members of the public. By the close of the fair Russia in particular had announced extensive business successes with a total value of 330 million euros. As a result of other contacts established during this event this figure could eventually rise to 450 million euros, according to an estimate by Sergey Selivanow, Deputy Director of the trade show company Agriculture Sector of VVC Ltd.

Summing up, Dr. Christian Gke, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Berlin GmbH said: "Visitors this year are more willing to buy, compared with last year, and spent a total of 44 million euros (2007: 40 mi. €). At around 425,000 (2007: 427,000), attendance was at much the same level as it was last year, but included many more trade visitors, especially from the food industry (2008: 110,000 trade visitors, 2007: 100.000). To an unprecedented extent the Green Week 2008 has succeeded in presenting every stage in the value added chain.

The Green Week has proved to be an attraction for the general public, not only as the world’s largest consumer show for agriculture, food and horticulture, but also as a memorable experience for its many visitors. In addition to the visitors, an average of some 12,000 other persons who were involved in the event, such as exhibitors and stand personnel and service staff, along with media representatives, were in the halls each day. The Green Week recorded the largest attendance by leading domestic and international politicians in its history, over 200 in all. Worldwide coverage was provided by 5,000 media representatives from 70 countries.

The retail food trade and brand names continue to make increasing use of the Green Week as a platform for direct contacts with consumers. The REWE Group as well as such leading names from the food industry as Abraham Schinken, Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Intersnack, Kraft Foods, Khne, Nestl and associations representing the mineral water sector and the poultry industry staged their largest-ever displays under the umbrella of the BVE/BLL. With 1,610 exhibitors from 52 countries and a display area measuring 115,000 square metres the Green Week maintains a stable position, at a high level.

Statements from representatives of politics and business

The German Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and the non-commercial sponsors of the Green Week summed up the events at the fair with the following statements:

Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection: "The success story that is the Green Week continues. This year it is again the world’s largest exhibition for the food industry and agriculture. For many years the Green Week has served as an indicator of the mood in agriculture and the food industry, which are currently on a high. The German agricultural sector is in a strong position, and in its invigorated state it is well equipped to face the future. Demand for goods from agriculture and the food industry is on the increase around the world. We are currently facing a situation unique in the history of agriculture, in which the cultivation of renewable raw materials offers farmers genuine alternatives to the production of foodstuffs and livestock feeds. Today’s farmers and energy producers are working hand in hand, as can be plainly seen at this year’s Green Week. Our farmers provide the guarantee for ensuring that supplies of high quality foodstuffs can be maintained in Germany, as well as safeguarding energy supplies. The Green Week is an exhibition that appeals to hearts and minds, and if it did not already exist it would be necessary to invent it."

Statement by Gerd Sonnleitner, President of the German Farmers’ Association (DBV): The Green Week 2008 continues to make enormous strides and has become more important than ever for agriculture. As a meeting place for policy-makers over the past few days it could hardly be bettered. For the ministers of agriculture of the 27 member states of the EU, and of Germany and its federal states, attendance at the Green Week has become essential. The Green Week has retained its youthful appearance. It continues to attract more farmers, and young people from the land too, who attend as trade visitors and take part in the discussions about topical issues and the future of agricultural markets and policy. A business analysis of the agricultural markets promises good prospects for our farming and food industries. Agriculture and the food sector are the industries of the future."

Jrgen Abraham, Chairman of the National Association of the German Food Industry (BVE): "The food industry has made use of the political stage provided by the International Green Week 2008 in order to clearly define its position regarding the current price of foodstuffs and the availability of its raw materials. The growing integration of inter-national raw materials and sales markets calls for the development of platforms for a political dialogue that transcends national borders. In this respect the Green Week 2008 has made an important contribution. The presentations by leading companies in the food industry have provided an attractive combination of enjoyment, information, activities and entertainment, to the delight of visitors. With its joint project entitled "Power for life – food and activity" the industry has enhanced its profile at this trade show, and revealed a confident outlook. If we continue along this path it will be well worthwhile.

Among those from the food industry and the retail food sector who were also welcomed during the course of the fair were Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO Nestl S.A., and the entire board of the REWE Group, accompanying its Chairman, Alain Caparros. This group is the second largest food retailer in Germany and it took the opportunity provided by the Green Week to introduce its new organic line of produce, and also announced the conversion of all 6,000 of its retail outlets to operate entirely using electricity from renewable resources, which will enable it to become "the trailblazer among the largest users of green electricity in Germany". "The world’s largest consumer show was the ideal platform for establishing links with consumers, agricultural producers, the food industry and politicians. The Green Week more than met our expectations", was how the REWE Group summed up this event.

The importance of the Green Week as a meeting place for the industry was also underlined by the discussion groups with leading represent-atives of the boards of dairies and the meat sector. The Central Marketing Company of German Agriculture (CMA) also drew positive conclusions at the close of the trade show in Berlin. Most of the exhibitors in the CMA states halls reported sales at the same high levels as those of last year, while some of them even achieved substantial increases. The 410,000 visitors at the Green Week were particularly enthusiastic about the Farm Experience with its display of innovations and a forward-looking exhibition concept. "This positive response again provided a clear indication of the enormous increase in the interest among the population in obtaining information about all aspects of agriculture and the food industry", was the assessment by Dr. Jrgen Frhling, General Manager of Frdergemeinschaft Nachhaltige Landwirtschaft (FNL e.V.), which supervised the coordination of the Farm Experience, in partnership with 50 other firms and organisations.

Meetings and discussions at the highest level

The outstanding importance of the Green Week as a platform for politicians from home and abroad was underlined this year by the presence of more than 200 leading representatives. During his tour at the start of the event the German Minister for Agriculture Horst Seehofer greeted his opposite numbers from no less than 17 European countries on their stands. The opening ceremonies at the ICC Berlin were attended by some 5,000 guests from all over the world, and bore all the hallmarks of this year’s partner country, Switzerland. The International Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, which was taking place for the first time, attracted 1,500 participants, including 32 government ministers and permanent secretaries from abroad, as well as 650 official delegations sent by the governments of 36 countries. They discussed the subject of "Global competition for agricultural raw materials". The Farm Experience in Hall 3.2 was visited by more than 200 federal and state members of parliament from Germany and from the EU.

The high-ranking guests at the Green Week 2008 included Germany's Federal President Horst Khler, Federal Minister for Agriculture Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister for Economics Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Defence Franz-Josef Jung, Minister Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries, Federal Minister for Education Annette Schavan, and seven permanent secretaries. In addition to Berlin’s Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit, various Minister-Presidents of German federal states visited the displays by their own states, including Dieter Althaus (Thuringia), Kurt Beck (Rhineland-Palatinate), Wolfgang Bhmer (Saxony-Anhalt), Peter Harry Carstensen (Schleswig-Holstein), Matthias Platzeck (Brandenburg) and Dr. Harald Ringstorff (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania). A separate tour of the fair was also undertaken by Dr. Hermann Otto Solms, Vice President of the Deutscher Bundestag (lower house of parliament)

Other national politicians, among them the head of the FDP, Guido Westerwelle, and leading representatives of all the parties with seats in the German parliament came to the Green Week 2008 in search of information.

A total of 54 ministers, deputy ministers and permanent secretaries from abroad as well as 80 ambassadors and consuls, and 40 agricultural attachs attended the Green Week, accompanied by their delegations. The State President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers, paid his first visit to the Green Week. The most important agricultural policy-maker in Europe, the EU Agricultural Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel (Denmark), also came to the Green Week, bringing her entire cabinet with her for the first time. Russia sent some impressive delegations, headed by Minister for Agriculture Alexej Gordeev, and accompanied by 20 governors (a position comparable with that of the minister presidents of the German federal states).

In addition to the minister-presidents referred to above, 49 ministers and permanent secretaries from the federal states also attended the Green Week. Gerd Sonnleitner, President of the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) and Jrgen Abraham, Chairman of the National Association of the German Food Industry (BVE) attended as representatives of the non-commercial sponsors of the Green Week.

Visitors spent some 44 million euros

Compared with last year consumer expenditure was ten per cent higher, totalling some 44 million euros at the Green Week 2008 (2007: 40 mi. €). Visitors spent an average of 25 euros each on food and drinks consumed at the fair (2007: 25 €). Each visitor also spent an average of some 78 euros on orders for other products (2007: 62 €). Berlin and the surrounding region derive additional purchasing power of some 145 million euros as a result of the visitors and exhibitors from outside the city who come to the Green Week.

Positive assessment of the fair by all those involved

Among the main objectives of exhibitors at the Green Week were to sell to consumers, to provide them with information and to publicise their own companies. Around half of all exhibitors stated that they were attending in order to test their own products. Four fifths of the exhibitors reported attaining their objectives to a satisfactory extent and announced their intention of taking part in the next Green Week. Almost all exhibitors would recommend participation in the Green Week to colleagues or business associates, and were satisfied with the success of their own participation.

Trade visitors expressed their satisfaction with their commercial results during the fair. During the Green Week this target group were able to sign contracts and over half of them anticipate follow-up business. The main emphasis was on providing information about the products on offer and about the industry in general, as well as cultivating contacts. Trade visitors came predominantly from agriculture and forestry, the food industry and the trade.

Private sector visitors attended primarily because the Green Week offers a great deal to see and experience, and also in order to acquaint themselves with products from all over the world. Among the special shows the Livestock Hall, the Farm Experience, House Pets & Plants and the International Floral Hall were particularly popular with the public. Once again more than 25,000 pupils from some 1,000 classes in Berlin, Brandenburg and neighbouring federal states took part in Messe Berlin’s schools programme.

The range on offer at the Green Week was assessed by 98 per cent of visitors as very good to satisfactory. 91 per cent of visitors would recommend attendance at the Green Week to acquaintances, colleagues and people with whom they do business. And 90 per cent of all visitors announced their willingness to visit the next Green Week in Berlin.

Dates of the next event: 16. to 25 January 2009

The International Green Week Berlin 2008 is organised by Messe Berlin GmbH. Its non-commercial sponsors were the German Farmers’ Association (Deutsches Bauernverband - DBV), Bonn, and the National Association of the German food industry (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Ernhrungsindustrie - BVE), Bonn. The next Green Week will be held from 16 to 25 January 2009.

This press release, press photos, original sound recordings and video footage of the Green Week 2008 can also be found on the internet: www.gruenewoche.com