The first day of INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA attracted a great of attention at European level. EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger, Minister Peter Hauk from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection, and Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, Parliamentary State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture, jointly opened the trade fair with the German Winegrowers' Association (DWV) and the German Agricultural Society (DLG), and handed over the gold and silver medals during the presentation of the 2018 Innovation Award.
Other guests were Joachim Rukwied, President of the German Farmers' Association and the European Farmers' Association (Copa Cogeca), and international guests such as Constantin Illie Aprodu, General Secretary in the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Zsolt Feldman, State Secretary for Agriculture in the Hungarian Ministry for Rural Development, Juraj Solčány, Economic Diplomat of Slovakia, and Atanas Kazarchev, Chef de Cabinet and Head of the Ministerial Office in the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The 63rd International DWV Congress, the first day of which focused on the consequences of climate change and international cooperation, was also attended by political representatives with delegations from Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. The special importance of winegrowing in countries in the Danube region and the need to organise successful risk management were highlighted in a joint communiqué issued at the end of the Congress. In terms of visitors, this special commitment was reflected by the fact that 21 per cent of international visitors came from the addressed Danube riparian states. Taken individually, however, the top 5 visitor countries were still Austria (35%), Switzerland (14%), France (11%), Italy (5%) and Luxembourg (4%). Visitors awarded the trade fair good marks overall (2.2) and said they were intending to recommend INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA to other people (74%).
The International Technology Trade Fair for Wine, Fruit Juice and Special Crops provided visitors with a glimpse of the future. Digitalisation in all facets from cultivation, harvesting, processing and process control through to organisation, packaging and marketing was discussed on the second day in the parallel Congress sessions, demonstrated live in special shows and presented by exhibitors through their own products and solutions. Trade visitors praised the extensive transfer of know-how between science, industry and politics, which is unique in this form. This platform was used by 302 exhibitors from 13 countries. At national level, INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA is still an important meeting point for winegrowers and farmers. The accompanying programme of the trade fair therefore included numerous meetings, e.g. the general meeting of the members of the Union of German Enologists and of the Vinissima Association - Women & Wine, and lively exchanges between members of the German Winegrowers' Association (DWV) and the German Agricultural Society (DLG). In the tasting zone – Taste Technology – a total of 14 research and training institutes from Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and France presented special wines which were produced and matured based on modern findings. Julia Klöckner, German Minister of Agriculture, visited the Congress at the end of the second day. In her speech during the closing plenary session Klöckner stressed that winegrowers must become involved in digitalisation in viticulture and actively follow its further development. With the assistance of her Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Klöckner wants to promote and support the expansion and security of digital applications.
Machine demonstrations showcased tractors and implements which make it easier to cultivate and harvest grapes and special crops. This daily demonstration programme traditionally goes down very well. The grandstands specially built for this purpose in Oskar Lapp Hall (Hall 8) were therefore always filled during the demonstrations. More than any other aspect of the trade fair, the special show "Drones and robotics" embodied the look to the future: drones explore terrain, analyse the health of vines on steep slopes and distribute water during drought stress or pesticides specifically to individual plants. Robots drive autonomously through wine estates and fields. Equipped with cameras and tools, they can handle and defoliate vines or regulate weeds.
Pavilions, in which exhibitors presented new developments, were also devoted to the important topics of plant protection and "Viticulture/Campus 4.0". Trade visitors found out what developments are already being successfully tested in research and can be used in their companies in the near future. During the Distillers' Forum the latest findings on the distillation of fruit brandies, liqueurs and gins were also imparted. Company managers and cantinieres were able to look for and find these important stimuli at INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA.
Other attractions were the Young Professionals Day on 5 November 2018, which was organised by the DWV and the DLG in cooperation with the German Young Farmers' Association, the Enologist Young Talent Award and the presentation ceremonies for the Meininger Red Wine Award, the International PIWI Wine Award and the Federal Wine Award of the DLG. The joint stand of the DWV was used as an industry meeting point by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, the German Wine Institute, the Society for History of Wine, the Federal Association of Ecological Winegrowers (ECOVIN), R+V Allgemeine Versicherung, the Association of German Wine Exporters and the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE). In addition to the joint stand, the DLG staged the special show "Smart Horticulture".
Visitor delegations from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Hungary used INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA to exchange opinions and experiences with their German colleagues and analyse the showcase of German suppliers for their investment intentions. 73 per cent of visitors are involved in investment decisions while 63 per cent said they were planning to make investments directly at the trade fair or within the next six months. The exhibitors and visitors are still critically discussing the date and interval of the most important event for German manufacturers and producers. The organisers, i.e the German Winegrowers' Association, the German Agricultural Society and Messe Stuttgart, therefore want to jointly plan the return of the trade fair to its three-year cycle and a spring date together with the trade fair advisory panel and the industry. For this purpose, close agreement will be reached with other organisers and international trade fair companies.
About INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA
INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA is staged concurrently with the International German Winegrowers' Congress every two years at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre. As an international technology trade fair for wine, fruit juice and special crops, it covers the entire process chain from cultivation and harvesting technology, processing and process control, and filling and packaging technology through to organisation and marketing. The German Winegrowers' Association (DWV) acts as the professional supporter of the INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA section and organises the International DWV Congress. The German Agricultural Society (DLG) acts as the professional supporter of the HORTITECHNICA section.
