Import Promotion Desk supports companies with virtual fairs and B2B meetings

Bonn/Berlin, 24.11.2020 – The corona pandemic poses challenges for companies worldwide: contact restrictions make international trade relations and the search for new products and reliable suppliers more difficult. Many of the international trade fairs that serve as important contact exchanges have been postponed. Import Promotion Desk (IPD), the import promotion initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has developed a variety of online services to continue its work. In virtual meetings and trade fairs, IPD experts support German and European companies in opening up new supply markets and connect them with selected producers from developing countries and emerging nations.

Import Promotion Desk (IPD) supports exporters from Ecuador and seven more partner countries at the international trade fair for fruits and vegetables

Bonn/Berlin, 16.01.2020 – Ecuador is known for its biodiversity and offers a wide range of tropical fruits. The South American country lives up to its reputation at this year's Fruit Logistica, which takes place in Berlin from 5. to 7. of February. With bananas, pineapples, pitahayas, physalis and passionfruit, the exhibitors present a richly filled fruit basket (Hall
21 Booth B‐06). Import Promotion Desk (IPD), the German initiative for import promotion, has been supporting the partner country of this year's Fruit Logistica for two years now, and
accompanies producers to the European market. This year the IPD brings six companies from Ecuador to the international trade fair. In total, over 40 companies from eight IPD partner countries ‐ from Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Côte d`Ivoire, Ghana, Colombia, Peru and the Ukraine ‐ will present their range of fresh fruits and vegetables in Berlin.

Import Promotion Desk (IPD) focuses on organic products: Tropical fruits and high-quality vegetables and herbs from developing and emerging countries

Bonn/Berlin, 17 September 2019 - The demand for organic quality in the fruit and vegetable sector is growing steadily. Experts expect an annual increase of 9 percent each over the next five years (study "Global Organic Fruits and Vegetables Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast" by the market research company Research and Markets). The Import Promotion Desk (IPD) takes advantage of this trend and supports companies from developing and emerging countries in the certification and marketing of organic products. At this year's Fruit Attraction, which will take place from 22 to 24 October in Madrid, the partner for import promotion will place a special focus on the organic segment from South America and Africa. (Hall 4, Booth E07)

The Import Promotion Desk brings exporters from seven developing and emerging countries to the international trade fair for fruit and vegetables.

Bonn/Berlin, 21.01.2019 – Strawberries and blueberries are highlights at the country stand of Ethiopia (Stand 26 | F‐28) at this year's Fruit Logistica, which takes place from 6 to 8 February 2019 in Berlin. The exhibitors from Ethiopia bring a wide range of berries to the fair, including San Andreas, Sweet Ann and Montery Strawberries. Due to the climate conditions, berries in Ethiopia can be cultivated in Ethiopia all year round in high quality. Other products such as beans, physalis, prickly pears and sugar snap are also exhibited by the companies from the African hinterland at the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers Exporters Association (EHPEA) stand, organized with the support of the Import Promotion Desk (IPD). The German partner for import promotion also presents exporters from Egypt, Ecuador, Colombia, Mozambique, Peru and Tunisia and a wide range of regional products.

German import promotion initiative is now active in 13 countries and 5 sectors

Bonn/Berlin, 25.07.2018 – Since 2012, the Import Promotion Desk (IPD) has assisted small-to-medium-sized enterprises in selected developing and emerging counties to ac-cess the European market. In its third project phase, the IPD expands activities to 13 partner countries and five sectors. The IPD supports export companies on the so-called "last mile"– it accompanies producers to the European market, arranges contacts with importers, thereby closing a strategic gap at the interface of development cooperation and foreign trade.

Fresh herbs, high-quality fruit and vegetables from new markets
Make contacts with reliable producers

Under the motto "Go Future", FRUIT LOGISTICA - the trade fair for fruit and vegetables in Berlin - offers its visitors and exhibitors a global platform for new ideas, exciting impulses and innovative solutions. Over 3,300 exhibitors and more than 72,000 trade visitors will have the opportunity to make new contacts and find reliable partners from 18 - 20 May 2021. 

Once again, IPD will provide European traders with carefully selected and reliable suppliers from developing and emerging countries. For all our exporters, criteria such as product quality, export capability and capacity as well as compliance with international standards and certifications were taken into account.

Are you an exporter based in one of our partner countries? And would you like to present your products at international exhibitions in Europe? To enter the selection process, please contact us:

Daniel Oppermann

Biofach 2021 - the world's leading trade fair for organic food - will take place from 17 - 19 February 2021 completely digital. With this decision, the organizer, NürnbergMesse, is responding to the altered circumstances of the dynamically evolving pandemic and at the same time, it provides importers and exporters with planning security in good time.

The Biofach eSpecial includes a virtual offer, which provides company and product presentations as well as innovative networking formats. An integral part of the eSpecial are sophisticated matchmaking functions.
IPD also makes use of this virtual offer and will present carefully selected producers from Ethiopia, Indonesia, Ghana, Ecuador, Egypt and Sri Lanka at the Biofach eSpecial. Our suppliers offer a diverse organic range. You will find e.g. herbs, spices and teas, pastes, essential and cold-pressed oils, cane and coconut blossom sugar as well as fruit and vegetable specialties from the new markets.

All companies were visited and tested by the IPD even before the pandemic. We take into account criteria such as product quality, exportability and capacity as well as the fulfillment of international standards and certifications.

Are you an exporter based in one of our partner countries? And would you like to export your products to Europe? To enter the selection process, please contact us.

Maria Paula Gomez

The International Green Week - IGW Professional 2021 - will take place from 20 to 21 January 2021 exclusively as a virtual trade fair. The organizers are moving exchange, discussion and knowledge transfer around the topics of agriculture and food industry to a virtual platform

IPD now complements the digital range of IGW with a virtual matchmaking event in order to presentselected exporters from the African partner countries again this year. Under the motto "Made in Africa - Marketplace for Foods", from 18 - 22 January IPD presents together with the Afrika Verein e.V. selected producers from 7 African countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Benin, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, South Africa and Tunisia.
German and European importers can get in touch with the companies in individual online meetings and find out about the wide range of products on offer, from fresh fruit and vegetables to herbs, spices, beans, oils, nuts and dried fruit.

All companies have been carefully selected for the event and are prepared for export to Europe and familiar with online meetings.  

Are you an exporter based in one of our partner countries? And would you like to export your products to Europe? To enter the selection process, please contact us.

Laura Schiefer

Exporters from developing countries (DCs) can profit from the growing German imports of fresh avocados. Good opportunities exist for ready-to-eat avocados. Additionally, DC exporters can differentiate themselves on the market with organic certification.

Consumer demand for fresh vegetables, combined with trends for convenience, consumer experience and innovation, has led to a new segment for luxury fresh vegetables: baby vegetables. The German market offers opportunities for baby carrots (as a snack), baby courgettes (used in Mediterranean cuisine) and baby corn (for Asian stir-fry dishes).

Beans and pulses are among commonly eaten vegetables in Germany. Try to add value to these commodity products to differentiate yourself on the market, for example with storytelling and employing social and environmental practices. Target the German market in the long off-season in European production (October – June).

Imports of fresh berries into the European market from developing countries have doubled over the past five years. Berries are increasingly offered as a convenient and healthy snack, seducing shoppers into buying them. Although many berries are grown in Europe itself, demand is much higher than European production and imports from developing countries are filling in the gap.

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Which fruits and vegetables are in season in which country?
Which products are available in the IPD partner countries?  
Inform yourself!

A survey conducted among business leaders in Germany revealed that 86% of all of them consider trade fairs as one of the most important tools in the sourcing and procurement process.1 For a simple reason: business is done between humans. People want to meet each other, see each other and get to know each other. Especially in a world that is characterised by growing digitalisation, real-life experiences make the difference.

Participation at a foreign trade fair is a not all that difficult. However, it requires good planning and meticulous execution. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), planning a participation at a foreign trade fair may be a daunting task.
This guide is intended to help SMEs approach this task successfully.

IPD procures new trade partner for the Ethiopian exporter GreenPath Food

GreenPath Food is Ethiopia’s first – and, up until now, its only – certified EU-organic producer and exporter organisation in the fruit and vegetable sector. Import Promotion Desk (IPD) added the company to its export promotion programme in 2017. With support of IPD, GreenPath Food was able to raise awareness for its products at European trade fairs and to establish successful trade relations. For two years now, they have been in close cooperation with the Hamburg-based import organisation ElbeFruit Europe, which markets EU-organically certified avocados, vegetables and fresh herbs from GreenPath Food in German-speaking countries. Their cooperation in the organic trade sector opens up new opportunities for both partners.