Grüne Woche, Berlin, 16-25 January 2015

This year the special guest was Latvia at the Grüne Woche trade show, where 1,658 exhibitors from nearly 70 countries presented their products and services. In his opening speech Germany’s Minister of Agriculture Christian Schmidt stressed that the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the EU and USA won’t loosen Europe’s strict food safety regulations. Hungary’s biggest market for agricultural products is Germany, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that 10 companies were represented at the 300m² Hungarian stand (set up by the Hungarian Tourism Zrt. and the Agricultural Marketing Centre), showcasing premium products, from chimney cake to Mangalica meat. The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) was part of Grüne Woche’s programme for the seventh time. Agricultural ministers discussed food supply issues and agreed that in the next 50 years food production has to be expanded by 60 percent to avoid famine. Hungary suggested the supporting of family farms and promoting food produced locally. There were 300 events, including various conference and forums, in the 10-day programme. More than 400,000 visitors were registered and from these 30 percent were trade visitors. Being present at the Grüne Woche was an excellent opportunity for Hungary to give an overview of the multi-faceted Hungarian agri-food secto