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Second Industry-Specific Mission “Agro-Innovation Exchange: Spain–Ukraine” 2025

AgroInnovate Exchange: Spain to Ukraine is the second industry-specific business mission designed as a professional exchange between the Ukrainian and Spanish agricultural sectors, focusing on horticulture, berry production, vegetable growing, agricultural technologies, irrigation, sorting, cooling, and export logistics. The mission took place from September 29 to October 4, 2025 and covered Madrid, Huelva, and Murcia.

Mission Objectives and Concept

The main idea behind Agro-Innovation Exchange: Spain–Ukraine was not only to introduce Ukrainian participants to modern models of agricultural production in Spain, but above all to establish direct professional and business connections between Ukrainian producers and municipalities and Spanish technology companies, equipment suppliers, planting material providers, and other participants in the agri-food value chain.

Agro-Innovation Exchange: Spain–Ukraine provides Ukrainian agricultural companies and municipalities with an opportunity to establish direct links with European innovation centers in the field of horticulture. Particular attention was given to berry and vegetable cultivation technologies, irrigation systems, and export logistics.

The program was designed to combine exhibition activities, professional congresses, technology visits, and B2B negotiations.

Madrid: An International Platform for Technology and B2B

The first stage of the mission took place in Madrid and was centered around Fruit Attraction 2025 — an international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable sector.

According to the program, on September 29 participants arrived in Madrid, where a kick-off meeting was held at the Eurostars Madrid Tower Hotel, followed by a joint dinner.

On September 30, the program included a full day of activities at the exhibition:

a visit to the Innovation Hub;
thematic sessions on the future and strategic role of packaging in the fruit and vegetable industry;
B2B meetings between vegetable producers and technology companies;
B2B meetings between Ukrainian exporters and importers of apples and berries.

Thus, the exhibition was used not simply as an opportunity to explore the market, but as a platform for identifying technological solutions and establishing direct business contacts.

Focus on Organic Production, Logistics and Technology

On October 1, participants had the opportunity to attend the Bio Fruit Congress, where regulatory and market challenges in organic production were discussed, including sustainable water use, biostimulants, and European standards. A separate panel focused on the role of distribution, quality, sustainability, and packaging.

The program also offered an alternative opportunity to attend Fresh Food Logistics – The Summit, dedicated to innovations in refrigerated logistics and temperature-controlled food supply chains.

B2B negotiations with representatives of the following organizations and companies were a particularly important part of the program:

FRESHUELVA — Spain’s berry industry association;
PROEXPORT OPFH — an association of vegetable producers;
Allround Vegetable Processing B.V. — vegetable processing equipment;
Hermisan SA — irrigation systems;
RAYTEC VISION S.p.A. — optical sorting solutions for the food industry;
PELAMATIC — fruit and vegetable peeling equipment;
J. Huete — construction of greenhouses and packing facilities, as well as implementation of turnkey agricultural projects;
Hydroponic Systems International — hydroponic systems, drainage management, and soilless cultivation technologies.

This part of the program highlights the mission’s practical focus: participants had the opportunity to engage directly with technologies that may be relevant to the modernization of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises.

Mercamadrid: Practical Insight into Spain’s Wholesale Trade and Distribution System

An important part of the Madrid program from September 29 to October 4, 2025 was the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Mercamadrid — one of Spain’s key centers for the wholesale trade, distribution, commercialization, and logistics of fresh food products.

On the second day of the business mission, the Ukrainian delegation was divided into two working groups. Business representatives, together with Olena Kaizhen, Director of ALLE FOOD UA, visited Mercamadrid. The tour was personally conducted by the Director of Mercamadrid, who introduced the delegation to the operation of the market’s main sections — including the fruit and vegetable section — as well as to the daily processes of wholesale trade and the organization of product flows.

Mercamadrid is a comprehensive food platform that brings together the central fruit and vegetable, meat, and fish markets, as well as companies operating in distribution, storage, packaging, refrigerated technologies, and logistics. More than 800 companies operate within the platform.

The visit gave Ukrainian entrepreneurs an opportunity to see first-hand how a major Spanish food distribution platform operates, bringing together producers, wholesale operators, distributors, logistics companies, and professional buyers.

For Ukrainian producers and exporters, the visit was particularly valuable from a practical perspective. It provided an opportunity to observe not just an individual production technology, but the entire supply chain for fresh produce from the wholesale market to the professional buyer — including sorting, storage, packaging, cold-chain logistics, wholesale sales, and distribution.

Huelva: Experience from One of Europe’s Key Berry-Producing Regions

The next destination of the mission was Huelva — a region that is one of Europe’s leading centers of berry production.

For Ukrainian producers, this part of the mission focused on exploring practical approaches to:

berry production;
cultivation technologies;
improving product quality;
organizing production processes;
preparing products for export;
interaction between producers, the market, and logistics operators.

For this reason, the berry sector became one of the central elements of Agro-Innovation Exchange: Spain–Ukraine.

Murcia: Vegetable Production Technologies, Greenhouses and Efficient Water Use

Another strategic region of the mission was Murcia, which UMEDA presents as an area with a high level of development in vegetable production, greenhouse technologies, and water-saving systems.

For the Ukrainian side, technologies related to the following areas are particularly important:

precision irrigation → efficient water use → greenhouse production → increased productivity → preparation of products for export.

According to the program, after the exhibition stage, the delegation was expected to continue with targeted visits to Spanish companies working with cultivation, sorting, cooling, and other technologies selected according to the participants’ interests.

Practical Value for Ukrainian Agribusiness

According to UMEDA’s concept, the mission was designed to provide several areas of practical cooperation:

Technology Transfer.
Ukrainian companies gain an opportunity to explore technological solutions directly from manufacturers and suppliers.
B2B Partnerships.
Direct meetings create a foundation for further commercial negotiations, equipment supply, and other forms of cooperation.
Export Development.
Participants gain insight into European requirements for quality, certification, and the organization of export supply chains.
Production Modernization.
The experience of Huelva and Murcia demonstrates approaches to increasing productivity, improving resource efficiency, and developing specialized production.
International Partnerships.
The mission creates opportunities for long-term cooperation between Ukrainian and Spanish companies. UMEDA identifies business development, technology transfer, market-entry strategies, and strategic partnerships among the key expected outcomes of such missions.

From Madrid to Huelva and Murcia — From Contacts to Practical Solutions

The distinctive feature of the Second Industry-Specific Mission “Agro-Innovation Exchange: Spain–Ukraine” 2025 is the combination of three levels of cooperation:

Madrid — international market access, exhibition activities, and B2B contacts.
Huelva — specialized expertise in berry production.
Murcia — technologies for vegetable production, greenhouses, irrigation, and resource efficiency.

This structure makes it possible to view the mission not simply as a professional visit to Spain, but as a practical mechanism for identifying technologies, partners, and development models for Ukraine’s agricultural sector.

According to the program, on October 2 participants continued working with technology companies and attending professional sessions, followed by a planned transfer to Murcia. The UMEDA website lists the overall mission dates as September 29 – October 4, 2025, with activities taking place in Madrid, Huelva, and Murcia.

Summary

Agro-Innovation Exchange: Spain–Ukraine 2025 was designed as an industry-specific platform for practical exchange between Ukrainian and Spanish agribusinesses. Its program combined an international exhibition, professional congresses, technology visits, and B2B negotiations.

The main areas of focus included berry production, horticulture, vegetable production, greenhouse technologies, irrigation, sorting, cooling, packaging, and export logistics. This format was designed to enable Ukrainian companies not only to explore European technologies, but also to establish direct contacts with potential technology and business partners.