The 46th annual international agricultural machinery exhibition kicks off in Bologna with over 1,750 participating industries, 700 of which are foreign, covering every market segment. There are cutting-edge vehicles, machinery and advanced digital systems for an increasingly scientific agriculture industry connected to the service system and other production sectors.
“The EIMA international exhibition raises expectations ever higher by offering technological solutions to the great challenges of agriculture and the environment”. These are the words the General Director of FederUnacoma, Simona Rapastella, used this afternoon at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Bologna to present the 46th annual EIMA international exhibition of machinery and technologies for agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and greenery maintenance. “Population growth, climate change, polluting emissions, animal welfare and the protection of biodiversity – explained Rapastella – are all crucial issues for the future of the Planet and can only be addressed with new generation agro-mechanical technologies”.
Organized into 14 product sectors and 5 thematic shows “Components”, “Digital”, “Energy”, “Green” and “Hydrotech”, EIMA offers a boundless choice of means to increase agricultural productivity while drastically reducing its impact on the environment. There are approximately 60,000 models of vehicles, equipment and components – produced by over 1,750 exhibiting industries, 700 of which are foreign, from 50 countries – on display in the Bologna exhibition center, which sees all its pavilions and even the external spaces occupied for demonstration activities.
While describing the substantial program of meetings and conferences (over 150) that enliven this year’s event, the Director of FederUnacoma stressed the technical content of the exhibition (which has set a new record for Technical Innovations awarded), the numerous previews and new products presented by the manufacturers and the presence of EIMA Campus where eleven Universities are represented, together with research centers and training facilities.
But he also pointed out the political role that the fair has assumed in recent years. In fact, during the five days of the event, many representatives of the government and institutions will be present, as will be delegations of European and national parliamentarians, and diplomats from foreign countries, all with the aim of learning about the most suitable technological solutions for the different regions of the world, and taking part in the discussion on agricultural models, on the economic and geopolitical variables that influence trade, and on cooperation strategies.
At this year’s EIMA event there will be a lot of space given to digital and robotic technologies – it was mentioned – and to the applications of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data that today make it possible to connect the activity of agricultural companies to weather forecasting systems, mapping and control of territories, and the monitoring of products also for health purposes, management of agro-industrial supply chains, distribution on markets, as well as control of the operating parameters of machinery for the purposes of technical assistance and safety at work.
“Modern mechanization thus allows companies to remain competitive and to keep pace with the ecological needs of the Planet – said Rapastella – and allows agriculture to be included within a macro-system that involves everyone, from consumers to institutions, and even the world of school and training”. “This is why this exhibition – concluded Rapastella – is no longer merely an ‘industry’ event but rather an ‘Innovation Factory’, open to agro-industrial supply chains and related economic sectors, and very much looking towards the future.
