(KPL/Prensa Latina)  An Agroindustrial Business Forum begins today at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel in Havana and will run for two days, part of a significant agricultural fair.

The Rancho Boyeros Agricultural Fair, which celebrated its 92nd anniversary on February 26, is once again hosting the Fiagrop International Agroindustrial Food Fair, which in its 26th edition will take place from March 17 to 23.

Organized by the Agricultural Fair Company and sponsored by the Ministries of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Azcuba Sugar Business Group, Fiagrop once again provides a space for exchange among participants through product and service exhibitions, workshops, conferences, and meetings.

Ten foreign firms from eight countries (Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands, Chile, Portugal, and Panama) are present, along with the host nation. As a novelty, this day’s meeting is taking place at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

A message from this global organization details the Business Forum’s program, which focuses on accelerating agricultural transformation and sustainable rural development.

Official interventions by representatives of the Cuban government and the FAO Investment Center are planned in a meeting titled “Hand in Hand.”

The meeting will also cover issues related to the IRES Project, the Green Climate Fund, the Carbon Market, marine-coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, the environment, investment opportunities and models, challenges, market development, and exchanges. Attendees are scheduled to visit the Fair itself in the peripheral municipality of Rancho Boyeros, in the capital, and exchanges with the exhibitors. On February 23, 1933, Rancho Boyeros witnessed the inauguration of the Fair and Exhibition Park, now known as the Rancho Boyeros Fairgrounds. Since then, this emblematic site has served as a symbol of progress and innovation in the Cuban agricultural sector, according to the organizers.

The fairgrounds were conceived as part of an ambitious development plan in the 1930s, with the goal of creating a space that would bring together representatives of the island’s livestock and exhibition activities.

The Second International Livestock Exposition opened in 1956, but its exhibitions gained momentum after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

In 1961, the grounds hosted the founding of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), and in 1975, the National Agricultural Exposition was held.

By the 1990s, the International Agricultural Fair (Fiagrop) was created, becoming the most important event in the sector, providing an opportunity to showcase agricultural advances and exchange experiences and technologies.

In 1997, the Agricultural Fair Company was created, responsible for organizing, directing, and supporting fair activities. Currently, this company is part of the Porcine Business Group (GPOR), affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, and is headquartered at the Rancho Boyeros Fairgrounds.

KPL