Organizing a fruit and vegetable expo is a big responsibility and a complicated process.  When we attend, we must invest time and money for the trip, and the stand exhibitors must spend money to have attractive and comfortable booths. 

We try to find tools to enhance our businesses: sell more inputs, produce more, and find vegetable buyers and suppliers. If the event is good, you come back the next time, if it is not, you won’t come back, and in addition, you will criticize it.

I was recently in Querétaro attending Greentech Americas, an expo organized by the Dutch Embassy and some Dutch businessmen.  We met suppliers of seeds, lighting, nutrition, biologicals, greenhouses, seedling production, and grafting services. 

It is worth mentioning that several companies from the state of Sinaloa were present.  Sinaloa’s businessmen are pioneers in innovation, they have been able to tropicalize technology and inputs used in our state for the central region of the country.  This area represents the most important in sales than in the northwest of Mexico.

The central region of the country, which includes Querétaro, Puebla, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, and Hidalgo, has developed high-tech agriculture in the last decade. And although Sinaloa has more protected agriculture than all states combined, 8760 hectares vs. 5031 hectares respectively, the central states have more high-tech greenhouses.  This, coupled with a more beneficial climate, has allowed them to produce more months of the year, with better yields, and very high quality.

 GreenTech Americas comes to serve this market by bringing together innovative and high-quality global suppliers and exhibitors. 

The talks and forums offered provided practical learning. 

CAADES and Veggies from Mexico were represented and moderated the talk by Mr. Carlos Arteaga, VP of La Huerta, a leading company in food production and marketing. 

His presentation focused on the company’s good social responsibility practices such as daycare centers; large medical and life insurance for all employees; scholarships; canteen support; marriage dowry; among many others.  Being an example at the national and international level as a responsible company.

We also participated in the round table discussion “Global and Economic Situation in Protected Horticulture” along with the president of AMHPAC Guillermo Jimenez, the counselor of this organization Oscar Woltman and Tyrone Orozco of CJT Traders.  Our participation focused on presenting the trends in sustainability certifications that we believe will become more relevant in the markets.  We can mention Global Gap Spring, Rainforest Alliance, and Friend of the Earth, among others.