- The official opening was attended by, among others, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, the President of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, and the Mayor of Vigo, Abel Caballero
- The president of Conxemar, Eloy García, advocates in his speech for ‘continuing to grow as the sector does’ and recalls that ‘for every 6,000 square metres of unsatisfied demand’, 20 million euros are lost
The 25th Conxemar International Frozen Seafood Products Exhibition kicked off this morning at the Instituto Ferial – IFEVI in Vigo with an official ceremony attended by the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, the Mayor of Vigo, Abel Caballero, the Deputy Director of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Audun Lem, the President of ABANCA, Juan Carlos Escotet, and his counterpart from Conxemar, Eloy García.
In this context, the president of Conxemar highlighted the importance of this edition, in which the Exhibition ‘celebrates 25 years of work well done’ which represents ‘the culmination of a journey that has brought us this far’.
García emphasised that Conxemar is now ‘on the podium of the world’s leading trade fairs in the sector’, with more than 26,500 visitors from 110 countries. ‘Once again, this is another historic edition in terms of participation, with more than 750 exhibitors from 46 countries’, he added.
The president of Conxemar highlighted the importance of the International Exhibition for Vigo and its area. An event which, as he pointed out, generates 235 million euros and 6,500 jobs in the region every year, as stated in a report drawn up to measure this impact in which the Free Trade Zone and the Ardán Chair of the University of Vigo have participated.
On this basis, García stated the need to ‘continue to grow as the sector does’, indicating that ‘for every 6,000 square metres of unsatisfied demand’, 20 million euros are lost.
‘We will never tire of repeating and demonstrating that we return to the territory that hosts our event the investment it needs. Multiplied and in a very short time’, he stressed.
The weight of Conxemar
During his speech, the president of Conxemar also highlighted the weight of the fishing products industry and commercialisation sector which, as stated in the Sectoral Report on the Industry and Commercialisation of Fishing Products in Spain 2024, includes 803 companies that generate a turnover of 18,155.1 million euros and 34,844 direct jobs.
With a total of 260 companies, Conxemar accounts for 65.6% of this turnover and 57.9% of this direct employment. ‘We represent practically 1% of Spain’s GDP and 1% of its active population; our associated companies employ more than 17,000 people’, García highlighted.
Likewise, the president of Conxemar defended the work carried out by the sector, which has had to ‘face difficulties such as the rise in energy prices, persistent inflation or the increase in interest rates’.
In this context, he expressed his concern about the ‘high VAT’ that penalises the consumption of fish and seafood compared to other products. ‘Conxemar is working to meet these challenges with greater representation in international institutions and organisations under the guidance of the Strategic Plan approved by our Board of Directors’, he concluded.
