The Port of Barcelona, Mercabarna and the AGEM present their integrated fruit and vegetable offer at Fruit Attraction

The Port of Barcelona, Mercabarna and the Association of Wholesale Traders in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector (AGEM) will once again set out their integrated offer, unique in the region, of fresh products, land and maritime connectivity and complete logistic services at Hall 8, Stand 8B01 of Fruit Attraction, the key fruit and vegetables fair in Spain and the second largest in Europe, held in Madrid from 23 to 25 October.

The offer of products, services and connectivity by the Port, Mercabarna and the AGEM is the biggest in southern Europe. Mercabarna is the largest wholesale and distribution market in the Mediterranean. It will enjoy the best representation worldwide at the fair, since there are 24 wholesalers specialised in importing and exporting fruit and vegetables operating in its food service area. The market will have its own space at Fruit Attraction to promote its products and services.

The Port of Barcelona's delegation at the fair comprises commercial director Rosa Puig; commercial manager Ana Arévalo; and the delegate of the Port in Madrid and the Centre area Miguel Ángel Palomero. There, it will present the services and connectivity that the Catalan port offers to importers and exporters and logistics operators of fresh products with its regular, efficient and reliable land connections with the key European consumption centres and its highly competitive maritime connectivity.

The Port will also present its commitment to technology and innovation as competitive elements to serve customers and users that help to create more efficient logistics chains and increase their internationalisation.

Connectivity with origin and destination markets

The Port of Barcelona currently has a complete offer of regular container lines, with the main fruit and vegetable production markets and with the key destination markets, particularly emerging economies like China, India and the Middle and Far East.

Chief among the services for this sector promoted by the Port are short sea shipping (SSS) lines. Barcelona provides excellent connectivity with various Italian and North African ports, offering its customers very frequent regular sailings. The SSS routes with the southern shore of the Mediterranean are essential for the transport of fruit and vegetables to Europe, since they offer hauliers an alternative to road transport, keeping a large number of trucks from crossing the Iberian Peninsula, with the corresponding time and cost savings and a considerable reduction in polluting emissions.

In terms of land connectivity, the Port will also promote the Cold Channel rail service connecting Barcelona daily with the Zaragoza Maritime Terminal (tmZ). This service has consolidated its role as one more tool that the Port of Barcelona has made available to Aragonese agri-food producers wishing to internationalise their activity.

As part of the programme of technical conferences organised as part of Fruit Attraction, Rosa Puig, commercial director at the Port of Barcelona, will give a talk on Wednesday 24 October entitled "Efficiency model in cold logistics chains: Barcelona - Zaragoza” at 3 pm in the Forum Innova 8. And on the same day and in the same auditorium, Mercabarna will present the study entitled 'Development of trends in the purchase and consumption of fresh foods', which is the result of two studies commissioned by the market and aimed at specialised consultants during 2018.


Location of the Mercabarna, AGEM and Port of Barcelona stand:
HALL 8 | STAND 8B01, inside the 'Catalunya' space'.