Press Release 05 May 2015

Premier edition of agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria exceeded all expectations

1,349 trade visitors discussed their business with 91 exhibitors from 26 countries

(Heidelberg/ Lagos) The premier edition of agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria exceeded all expectations. Exhibitors were highly satisfied with the quality of their business contacts and the high number of attendees. All together 1,349 trade visitors were registered. They discussed their business with 91 exhibitors from 26 countries. The importance of this new annual event for the Nigerian agrofood and plastprintpack industry was underlined by speakers from politics, trade and industry, including the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Opening Session of agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015 Development and the Delegation of the European Union at the official opening session on April 28. The German organizers fairtrade Messe have already informed about the date for the 2nd edition being 26 – 28 April 2016. The 1st agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria was officially opened on April 28 under the motto: “Adding value

Ms Yetunde Adejumo, Lagos State to the Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development modernisation of the Nigerian agrofood and plastprintpack industries”. In her inaugural speech, Yetunde Adejumo, Lagos State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development underlined the importance of packaging for the Nigerian food industry: “We introduced the value chain. We encourage the Nigerian producers to deepen the processing of foodstuffs in order to generate better value. That is what the outgoing administration has achieved. We now need more of packaging.”

The Head of Delegation and Ambassador of the European Union-Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Michel Arrion expressed: “The food and beverage sector represents a very large segment of the Nigerian manufacturing industry. The sector generates over 1.5 million jobs in the country and thus employs five per cent of the Nigerian workforce. Moreover, with a market of over 160 Mr Michel Arrion, Head of Delegation and million consumers, and a constantly Ambassador of the EUROPEAN UNION – Delegation to Nigeria and to the Economic growing population, Nigeria has an Community of West Africa States increasing demand for packaged and ready-made food products. European suppliers can play an important role in providing the Nigerian food manufacturing and agro-business industry with machinery, equipment and technological know- how meeting a high degree of food safety and compliance with international hygienic standards.

The Delegation of the EU to Nigeria and ECOWAS therefore welcomes the initiative of fairtrade Messe to organize the international trade fairs “agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria”. We support this important event and wish that during the years to come it will develop into a leading platform for technological exchange.”

The 91 exhibitors from 26 countries were highly satisfied with the quality of their business contacts and the high number of attendees. All together 1,349 trade visitors were registered. Michael Kloss, Managing Mr Michael Kloss, Managing Director with KHS Machines Nigeria (right) Director with KHS Machines Nigeria points out: “For KHS Nigeria represents a huge market. Our main target for agrofood Nigeria 2015 was to emphasize our existence in the market as one of the leaders of filling and packing technology. We are satisfied with the quality of the visitors at our booth and hope that the success of this year’s edition will attract even more decision makers for agrofood Nigeria 2016.”

The Nigerian plastic subsector is expected to grow by seven percent over the next ten years. This positive outlook

Mr Anil Mehra, General Manager, Nissei ASB Machine mirrors the satisfaction rates of the exhibitors in this branch. “The Nigerian market is moving towards quality products and as our company is Japanese quality is our first priority. Our main target for this exhibition is to offer best solutions in packaging for Nigeria and West Africa in the pharma, liquor, cosmetics, juice, edible oil and food industries. We are very much satisfied with the quality and quantity of professional visitors,” says Anil Mehra, General Manager with Nissei ASB Machine.

The event was organized by one of the leading organisers of professional international trade shows in emerging markets, fairtrade Messe. The German organizers have already informed about the date for the 2nd edition being 26 – 28 April 2016.

www.agrofood-nigeria.com & www.ppp-nigeria.com

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About fairtrade: fairtrade was founded by Martin März in 1991. Since long, fairtrade ranks among the leading organisers of professional international trade fairs in emerging markets, especially in North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Managed by its shareholder and headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, fairtrade maintains a powerful network of agencies and partnerships throughout the world. Since 2003, fairtrade operates a subsidiary company in Algiers, Eurl fairtrade expo. Our management system is ISO 9001: 2008 certified. Being a member of UFI-The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, fairtrade organises events according to the UFI quality norms.

Contact for press and media - Contact for press and media - Nigeria: international: LionSunConsulting fairtrade GmbH & Co. KG Hakeem Jimo Dominik Rzepka Tel.: +234 7065325082 Public Relations [email protected] Kurfürsten-Anlage 36 D-69115 Heidelberg Tel.: +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 22 [email protected] www.fairtrade-messe.de