FederUnacoma and Amerigo Vespucci, synergies for agromechanics
The meeting between Minister Lollobrigida and the President of the Federation, Mariateresa Maschio, aboard the ship Amerigo Vespucci, during the Brindisi stop of the Vespucci Mediterranean Tour, marks the beginning of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the association
Kiking off at the port of Brindisi, aboard the Amerigo Vespucci currently on the sixth stage of its Mediterranean Tour, the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of FederUnacoma will continue throughout the year with other events and initiatives. The “spearhead” event was a face-to-face meeting held on April 14 aboard the historic sailing ship between the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, and the President of the Federation, Mariateresa Maschio, moderated by Gioacchino Bonsignore, editor-in-chief of Tg5.
Challenges for Mediterranean agriculture. At the center of the discussion are the prospects for growth in the Mediterranean region and the development potential of the respective agricultural economies. "Over the next seven years" - explained Mariateresa Maschio - "the population of the North African and Middle Eastern regions will rapidly increase, reaching 520 million people in 2032". The primary sector of the Mediterranean countries, which already has the strategic objective of ensuring food security, will therefore have to satisfy a growing demand for food and will have to do so not only by increasing yields, combating climate change and optimizing water consumption, but also by cultivating new lands and reclaiming degraded ones. The solution to these challenges can only come from agricultural mechanization and the response must be a highly technological one. "Italian agricultural mechanics, a sector of excellence and high innovation, can make a fundamental contribution to the development of the agricultural economies of the basin, increasing productivity, improving the quality of production, and optimizing the use of production factors", said the president of FederUnacoma.
A complex situation. In this scenario, it is essential that Italian agricultural machinery manufacturers have the necessary resources to invest in research and development of technologies specifically designed for the basin countries. The current economic situation, marked by a decline in the domestic market and turbulence in international markets, risks affecting the ability of Italian agricultural machinery industries to innovate. It is a complicated moment in time, we have to create the conditions necessary to support our companies and help them open new markets, - stated Minister Lollobrigida - yet, without abandoning stakeholder countries, such as the United States, which are of strategic importance for Made in Italy products. Another central issue was that of European incentive tools which, according to the Minister of Agriculture, should be conceived and set out according to the actual needs of each production sector, following clear and defined strategic directions.
Village IN Italy. In addition to being present on board the Amerigo Vespucci, FederUnacoma was also present on land at the setting of "Villaggio IN Italia" in the port of Brindisi. The travelling exhibition "Villaggio IN Italia" is an integral part of the Vespucci Mediterranean Tour, an initiative conceived by the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, sponsored by the Ministry of Defense and 12 other Ministries, to share the international experience of the "World Tour" that for 20 months has brought the culture, history, innovation, gastronomy, science, research, technology and industry that make Italy a universally appreciated nation to 30 different countries. The project is a public-private partnership between Difesa Servizi spa and Ninetynine. From 12 to 14 April, the space hosted an institutional stand of the Federation and an exhibition area where some excellent offerings of the agro-mechanical industry were presented, having been specifically designed for the vineyard and the orchard, and high added value crops that are in their natural territory in Apulia and other Mediterranean regions.
The award ceremony for excellent Apulian products. The initiatives for the 80th anniversary of FederUnacoma, which began in the early afternoon with the meeting between Francesco Lollobrigida and Mariateresa Maschio, continued into the evening with a dinner aboard the Amerigo Vespucci. Attendees included, among others, the Minister of Agriculture, the Undersecretary of Health, Marcello Gemmato, and Paolo Perrone, president of the Board of Directors of the State Institute of Printing and Minting. The event also included an award ceremony for products representative of Apulian excellence and Italian quality, and was organized with the collaboration of Tenuta Pinto, one of the most active and dynamic agricultural companies in the region of Apulia.
The quality of the company's crops attests to the contribution mechanical technologies make to the productive excellence of our primary sector.
"The celebrations for the 80th anniversary of FederUnacoma will continue throughout the year with other events. The partnership with the Vespucci Mediterranean Tour has a great symbolic value for the message of excellence – remarked the General Manager of FederUnacoma, Simona Rapastella – that the Vespucci brings to the world by promoting Made in Italy products and for the extraordinary attention that it manages to attract in all the countries in which it lands".
