ΕΙΜΑ International 2024 – The Agrotechnical sector of Greece strengthens its presence in the top international event

Athens, 20 November 2024 | The International Exhibition “EIMA International”, one of the largest exhibitions of agricultural and horticultural mechanical equipment worldwide, was held from 06 to 10 November 2024 at the BolognaFiere exhibition center in Bologna.

The 46th edition set a record attendance, reaching 1,750 exhibitors and visitors. 350,000 people from 160 countries attended the exhibition area. Among the visitors were economic agents, farmers, contractors, technicians, and students.

The Greek presence at the Bologna International Fair was extremely enhanced and impressive, with the exhibition area covering 1,000 sq.m., increased by 100% compared to 2022. This dynamic presence confirms the strategic importance of EIMA International as a leading meeting point for the international agrotechnical sector.

For the first time, the stands of Greek exhibitors carried the new brand of the sector: “Greek Agricultural Equipment | From Seed to Harvest”, which was designed with the aim of enhancing extroversion and highlighting the quality and innovation of Greek enterprises in the agrotechnical sector.

The Greek mission, with the support of Enterprise Greece, included 16 distinguished companies, which presented a wide range of products and solutions that meet the modern needs of agriculture. Two of them are start-ups with innovative solutions for agricultural production.

Greek companies expressed their satisfaction with the numerous and important commercial contacts that took place during the exhibition both from Europe and from the other side of the Atlantic. The business meetings, the new collaborations and the interest aroused by their products, highlighted the potential of the Greek agrotechnical sector and strengthened the prospects for further growth and exports. The next event is expected to be more numerous and with a wider range of products.

Mrs. Katerina Poulianitis, Secretary of the Economic and Financial Services B, Office of the Economic and Financial Services of Rome, visited the exhibition.

At EIMA International, 60,000 innovative models of mechanical agricultural equipment, vehicles, combine harvesters and machinery for drying, forestry, gardening and green maintenance, earthmoving, harvesting, irrigation, sowing tractors, agricultural products handling equipment and accessories, soil treatment equipment, processing and harvesting machinery, etc. were presented. The focus was on robots, drones, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence systems, representing the new era of agro engineering and already capable of meeting the challenges of food security, environmental sustainability, and climate change. As the organizers stated, the exhibition took place at a difficult time for the market, which is affected by the adverse economic situation, uncertainty in international markets and the transition to a new system of incentives. Nevertheless, EIMA International was not affected by the crisis, it had an excellent result and anyone working in the agricultural sector knows that new technologies are necessary.

The Italian market is Greece’s sixth destination country for these products and accounts for 4.1% of total Greek exports of the agrotechnical sector. In the relevant list, Romania comes first (24.3%), Bulgaria second (20.8%), and Cyprus third (6.5%). In the first eight months of 2024, exports of the Agricultural Sector—machinery and Equipment to Italy amounted to 7.3 million € in total Greek exports to Italy.