Benguela: Fruit producers in the province of Benguela are focused on identifying opportunities to access the European market, with Spain being a destination in the sights of local fruit growers, ANGOP learned on Tuesday. This is the case of Ant³nio No©, CEO of the company Indu-Agri 'Industry and Agricultural Development of Angola,' who participated in the 2025 Edition of Fruit Attraction Madrid, considered one of the largest fruit fairs in Europe.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the fair, held recently at Ifema Madrid, Spain, brought together more than 2,200 exhibitors from 150 countries, with an estimated attendance of around 120,000, including operators, retailers, and industry professionals. In a phone conversation with ANGOP from the Spanish capital, Ant³nio No© expressed that his participation in Fruit Attraction Madrid is a window of opportunity open to both Indu-Agri and other fruit producers in Benguela.
The deputy-chair of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, and Fisheries (CCIAP) of the province of Benguela emphasizes that the focus of his presence at the event is to identify opportunities to export the fruit produced by Indu-Agri. "Benguela is a strategic province, and Indu-Agri is a company that is part of the Lobito Corridor," commented the producer, whose farm, located in Dombe Grande, achieved an estimated production of 500 tons of unusually large watermelons in the 2024/2025 harvest.
Ant³nio No©, also known as the "watermelon king," revealed that he intends to build bridges to help other producers in the province become an "export hub" for the fruit produced along the Lobito Corridor. After opening his 5th store in the municipality of Bocoio, the largest pineapple producer in the province, the idea now is to support local producers in exporting their fruit to the European market.
He advocated the need to identify the opportunities offered by Europe, especially since it only produces fruit once a year and needs to import fruit to compensate for the off-season. Indu-Agri is investing in strategies to access the European market, through contacts with several Spanish businesspeople, with a view to prospecting new customers and establishing fruit exports partnerships.
From Monday onward, No© began visiting several freight forwarders in Madrid, who can facilitate the certification process for fruit from the province of Benguela. He noted that the European market is demanding and requires products of high quality, namely without chemicals or with phytosanitary quality control within internationally accepted standards.
Ultimately, he said, the challenge is to establish an exchange with European transit countries so that they can certify Benguela fruits, in order to win over the discerning European palate. He highlighted the tireless way Indu-Agri has worked to seek international contacts and partnerships in the agribusiness sector to develop the national economy.
Therefore, he encourages national producers to participate in these kinds of events, allowing them to access international markets and increase the country's competitiveness.
