54. INTERNATIONAL FAIR OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD AGRA, SLOVENIJA – FRUITS OF SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AND BREAKTHROUGH EXPERTISE

This year’s AGRA Fair will be from 20th to 25th. August 2016 in Gornja Radgona, at Slovenia’s crossroads with Croatia, Austria and Hungary, and will pay special attention to the International Year of Legumes. Hungary will be the partner country, with national and regional presentations given by many other countries. Agra will present all that we need for the production of health-friendly foods and in a way friendly to the environment, as well as top class produce, nutritional products, dishes and wine.  The most prominent state, chambers, economic and professional institutions are cooperating in the exhibition spaces and in the preparation of professional events and the presentations.

Organic farming and foods, forest and timber management, and agricultural techniques for safe and environmentally friendly farming will be joined by presentations of animals in stalls, in the arena and at professional events. On show will also be Slovenian autochthonous breeds of animals, cattle, horses, pigs, sheep and goats, beekeeping, small animals and pond fish. All who deal in agriculture professionally or as amateurs will be attracted by the presentations in the central fair garden, a permacultural garden, a subsistence garden and exhibition field. An oasis of green business opportunities will also be the plantation of hops, a selection of Slovenian vines, old varieties of apple trees and a forest park plantation. Accompanying the AGRA Fair will be valid expert consultations, professional and social gatherings, markets, tastings, competitions and entertainment events. The biennial 20th International Fair of Packaging, Packing Techniques and Logistics, INPAK will run at the same time.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

This year the AGRA Fair partner country will be Hungary, which will present its range of food and nutrition industry, cuisine, tourist offers, equipment for the food and nutrition industry and agricultural machinery. Presented at the exhibition will be also other countries with collective presentations: Serbia with the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Belarus, Austria, Poland and the region of Međimurje County and County Chamber Sisak from Croatia.

BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS 

Agra will present excellent crops, livestock breeding, wine-growing, fruit growing and forestry machinery, tools and equipment, food and wine, organic food, seeds and seedlings, resources for human and plant protection and animals, equipment for the food-processing industry, wine production and viticulture, products for sustainable construction and the use of renewable energy sources.

The Slovenian food industry will play an important role; it will present particular branches, such as cereals, wine production and fruit growing with collective performances.

SPECIALIZED COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONS  

Visitors to the fair will be eager to buy at the thematic markets of edible oil, honey and honey products, eco-bio market and farmers’ market. A special exhibition will present award-winning products from the international quality assessments of meat, dairy products, soft drinks and honey. Vino Slovenija Gornja Radgona will present the best wines in an exhibition and offer numerous tastings. The International Year of Legumes will be marked with a special exhibition, and special attention will also be given to Slovenian vegetables.

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATION OF ANIMALS               

With breeding bulls, heifers, suckler cows with calves and cows all major dairy and meat breeds in Slovenia will be represented at the fair.  Horses will be presented at an exhibition of the autochthonous Slovene Posavje breed. 

Within the frame of the national exhibition of pigs the selection program SloHibrid will be presented.

Within the framework of the National exhibition of sheep and goats, all breeds of sheep and goats present in Slovenia will be exhibited. 

The exhibition of autochthonous breeds of farm animals will promote Slovenian autochthonous breeds: the Posavje horse, the Istrian Pramenka, the Krško polje pig, the Carnelian bee and the Styrian hen. At stalls breeders will offer tastings and purchase of products from the meat and milk of the presented native Slovenian breeds: meat and cured meat products, mares’ milk from the Posavje breed, milk and milk products from sheep’s and mare’s milk, honey and bee products, Styrian chickens’ eggs and capons’ meat. 

The national beekeepers’ exhibition will present and offer tastings of honey and products made from honey.

Agra will also be lively with an exhibition of small animals, an exhibition of fish in a pond, and a one-day exhibition and presentation of the autochthonous breed of the karst shepherd dog.

PROFESSIONAL EXHIBITION OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF LEGUMES

The central fair garden will present a live demonstration of vegetables and field crops of old native varieties.

The permacultural garden will be based on the principles of the three cornerstones: care for the earth, care for people and return of surpluses, showing a sustainable framework and self-sufficient agricultural systems that are built on the basis of natural ecosystems.

The ecological subsistence garden presents the planting of vegetables for subsistence families with the support of a web application. 

At the fair field there will be a presentation of Slovenian autochthonous varieties of agricultural plant species with an emphasis on legumes. Part of field will be earmarked for a presentation on the revitalization of land with green manure. Hops are also growing on the edges of the field. 

view and to show good practice professionals, farmers and amateur visitors to the Pomurje fair in cooperation with professional institutions carefully nurture permanent model plantations: a model plantation of vines – Slovenian vine selection, an orchard of old varieties of apple trees and a forest park plantation.

ACCOMPANYING EVENTS 

Indispensable with their professional exhibitions, conferences and business conferences will be the most prominent institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Natural Parks of Slovenia, the Agriculture and Forestry Chamber of Slovenia, the Chamber of Commerce, the Slovenian Forest Service, the Cooperative Association of Slovenia, the Association of Tourist Farms of Slovenia, Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia and other prominent institutions, associations, and individuals.

20. INTERNATIONAL PACKAGING FAIR, PACKING TECHNIQUES AND LOGISTICS, INPAK

The INPAK Fair will be held at the same time as the AGRA Fair and will offer different types of packaging, materials and technologies for packaging and labelling, for storage equipment and logistics.

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