A good year, with over 55 thousand visitors

The 2006 Fenasucro & Agrocana concluded on quite a good note regarding attendance. In total, 55,109 visitors went to the Zanini Convention Center in Sertãozinho, between September 19 and 22, to learn about the novelties the 550 exhibitors had to offer over a 45-thousand square meter area. Visitors came from 22 Brazilian states and 35 different countries, clearly showing that this event is becoming even more international year after year, especially with the world’s growing interest in Brazilian ethanol.

On Tuesday, the 19th, the day the Fairs opened to the public, 9,700 people visited the Pavilions; on the 20th (Wednesday) 11,987 peopled visited the fair; and on the 21st (Thursday), the event had its record-breaking attendance of all time: 19,533 visitors; and on the 22nd, 13,889 people attended the Fairs on the closing day. In comparison to the previous year; the first time both Fairs were held simultaneously, Fenasucro & Agrocana, there was an approximate 10% increase in public attendance.

In relation to the missions and foreign visitors, the 2006 Fenasucro & Agrocana welcomed professionals from South Africa, Germany, Argentina, Austria, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, Holland, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, Tanzania, Uruguay and Venezuela.

For the first time in Fenasucro’s 14 editions and Agrocana’s 4 editions, the acting president of Brazil, José Alencar, attended the opening ceremony. He delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, visited some of the stands and granted some interviews, reiterating the importance of the sugar and alcohol sector for the Brazilian economy.

In relation to business, the event organizers forecast that initial estimates be reached or surpassed by year end. “The R$ 1.5 billion sales forecast during the Fairs and in the ensuing months falls within the expectations of many exhibitors who we talked to,” stated Fernando Barbosa, director of Multiplus events company. In many cases contacts and inquiries initiated during the 2006 Fenasucro & Agrocana resulted in business deals during October through December thereafter; that is because that is when Brazilian mills and refineries located in the Midwest region traditionally do their purchases.

Additionally, the sugar and alcohol sector is quite heated, given that approximately 100 new mills and refineries are either being designed or constructed. These projects will enable Brazil to increase sugarcane and alcohol production approximately by 50% in the next four years. “This market is growing and equipment suppliers for mills have been working at their full capacity,” confirmed Mário Garrefa, president of Ceise (Industrial Center of Sertãozinho and Surrounding Region), one of the Fairs organizers.

The 2006 Fenasucro & Agrocana also hosted seven other simultaneous events, which were complementary to the Fairs’ programs, including political and technical debates, awards and business meetings. The simultaneous events were: the International Alcohol Forum, Brasil Cana Show that included STAB’s International Agro-industrial Symposium, International Business Meetings, Gegis Seminar, Sugarcane Supplier Meeting and the MasterCana Award.

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