Ethiopia has the largest economy in East and Central Africa and is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, registering six to ten percent economic growth between 2004 and 2014 and a forecast of real GDP growth of 8.5 percent in 2015 and 2016 (IMF). The Ethiopian agrofood, plastics and packaging industry attracts massive private and public investment. Against this backdrop the German trade fair specialists fairtrade launch agrofood plastpack Ethiopia. The 1st International Trade Show on Agriculture, Food, Beverage and Plastics & Packaging Solutions and Technology for Ethiopia is scheduled from 04 to 06 October 2016 at the Millennium Hall, the most prestigious exhibition and conference hall in Ethiopia.
The German trade show specialists fairtrade launch agrofood plastpack Ethiopia on 04 to 06 October 2016 at the Millennium Hall, the most prestigious exhibition and conference hall in Ethiopia. The Heidelberg based organisers have a wealth of experience in the agrofood and the plastpack sector as fairtrade also organise iran agrofood in Tehran since 1994 with 947 exhibitors and 33,200 visitors in 2015, plast & printpack alger 2014 with 150 exhibitors from 23 countries and 2,500 visitors and recently held agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria in Lagos in April 2015 featuring 91 exhibitors and 1,349 visitors.
“The idea to launch a professional platform especially for the Ethiopian business community was brought up by the exhibitors at our “agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015” in Lagos last April. Now we are excited to create this new major platform for our long-term customers”, says Martin März, fairtrade’s CEO. “After a fact-finding mission to Addis Ababa and fruitful meetings with partners from industry, trade and service we are convinced, that this new business platform arrives perfectly in time.”
With 150 million Euros in 2014 (VDMA) Ethiopia is East and Central Africa’s largest importer of food processing and packaging machinery. The annual growth rate of 38 percent between 2010 and 2014 testifies Ethiopia as a market of the future that is just about to unfold. For manufacturers of food and packaging Global players like Heineken, Nestlé, Unilever and others are entering the Ethiopian market and invest hundreds of million US $ in new food and beverage production facilities.
According to figures from the World Bank, the Ethiopian Agriculture accounts for about 48percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 85 percent of exports, making it the cornerstone of the economy and the largest potential source of growth and prosperity. The Ethiopian agriculture has increased in the years 2011 to 2014 by 4.9 percent until 9.0 percent annually.
Ethiopia is East and Central Africa’s hub for the food trade. During the past years Ethiopian food imports have increased with an annual rate of 15 percent, from 0.866 billion US $ in 2009 to 1.797 billion US $ in 2014. Food exports even increased by 20 percent annually, to now more than 2.9 billion US$.
Further it is the 2nd largest importer of plastics and packaging machinery with an annual growth rate of 23 percent and 27 percent between 2010 and 2014. And Ethiopia is the largest importer of plastics in primary forms with a phenomenal annual growth rate of 46 percent between 2010 and 2014, reaching 527 million Euros in 2014.
Source: www.agrofood-plastpack.com