The international promotion of Macfrut 2024, the fair scheduled at the Rimini Expo Center from 8 to 10 May, has kicked off from Azerbaijan. A strategic country for Italy as the main supplier of oil, the state on the border between Europe and Asia also has an important agricultural sector, enough to employ a quarter of the workers. Azerbaijan has large resources which it invests in the modernization of infrastructure and for the improvement of the agricultural sector, primarily fruit and vegetables.

The mission was organized by the Italian-Azerbaijani University born as part of a cooperative relationship between some of the main Italian universities, including the University of Bologna, and the prestigious Ada University in Baku. A collaboration that will lead to the development of a school of agricultural and food sciences; as director will be Matteo Vittuari, professor of the Department of Agro-Food Sciences and Technologies at the University of Bologna and from August 2023 professor of the University of Ada in 'double appointment'. Among the first activities that will be launched by the new School is a professionalizing course in "Sustainable Horticultural Systems" which will be organized in collaboration with Macfrut. The mission of Macfrut president Renzo Piraccini has in fact created the foundations for this new important collaboration also supported by the Italian-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce, through president Manuela Traldi.

The presentation of Macfrut took place at the Azerbaijani export promotion body (Azpromo), in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, together with numerous operators from the fruit and vegetable sector, many of whom already knew the fair having attended it part in the latest editions. The large participation of companies during the mission promises an even larger participation in the next edition of Macfrut.

Finally, the mission was also an opportunity to visit some producing companies, since Azerbaijan is a historic producer of fruit and vegetables, tomatoes and potatoes in the horticultural sector, peaches, nectarines, apples and pears in the fruit sector. Production is mostly destined for the domestic market or export to the Russian Federation and to a lesser extent to the countries of the Persian Gulf.