TEHRAN (www.italtrade.com) – From 28 to 31 May 2006, Tehran will host the thirteenth edition of Iran Agrofood - the trade fair for agricultural machinery, fishing equipments and machinery for the processing, packaging and conservation of agroindustrial products of animal and vegetable origin.

In recent years the event (www.iranagrofood.com) has become a point of reference for the entire Middle East, and despite the political tensions of recent weeks, this edition is already expected to repeat previous successes. The figures justify optimism, and show the desire to invest in a field with undoubted growth potential. Italy, which is in a position to impose new international standards in the sector of agricultural and food machinery, will once more attract the interests of buyers and companies from all over the world.

The 2005 edition saw the participation of around 440 companies from 22 countries, distributed over 22,000 square meters.

"We are enthusiastic about this event. For buyers it is an excellent chance to compare local and international products and see how solutions proposed in specific sectors such as food and drink technology, agriculture and catering products measure up against each other", said Franco Passaro, Head of the "Italian Institute for Foreign Trade" in Teheran.

Iran Agro 2006 has been organized with the support of the Iranian ministries of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. There is a clear political will to attract the attention of foreign investors to the country, and the possibility to build constructive relationships in both the private and public sectors. In this edition, Iran Agrofood will be divided into three separate events, in order to optimize use of space and make the various areas accessible to all visitors: "Iran Agro 2006", "Iran food and drink tech 2006" and "Iran food and hospitality 2006". At least 500 companies from all over the world are expected for a fair which this year aims to exceed the threshold of 40,000 visitors.

Iran is a country in constant economic growth. While the Iranian economy is driven by raw materials, the sector of agriculture holds a solid share of GDP at 20%, with this sector accounting for 33% of jobs, an evident sign that the country wishes to free itself from economic dependence on a single source of wealth.

In 2006 Italy will participate in Agrofood united in a single large exhibition space organized by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE). The show will include slicing machines for meat, fruit and vegetables, food mixers, machinery and systems for the cheese, confectionery and breadmaking industries and for the production of wine and ice cream. There will also be food processing machinery (for meat, chocolate and fruit), machinery for the production of pasta, crisps, syrups and sugar, and systems for smoking and pasteurizing. After the great success obtained last year by the Italian delegation, the ICE wanted to propose more of an Italian collective, seeing the business opportunities triggered off by the past edition: in 2005 as many as 23% of the companies who participated in the fair came home with a signed deal in their pockets.