Event for Greek agriculture by GAIA EPICHEIREIN and NEUROPUBLIC The prospects of Greek agriculture, as well as the national actions in relation to the CAP 2023-2027, were presented during the informative event entitled “The Common Agricultural Policy today and in the future: ecological and digital transformation for a sustainable Greek agriculture”, organized jointly by GAIA EPICHEIREIN and NEUROPUBLIC on Friday 2 February 2024 in Thessaloniki. George Stratakos, Secretary General of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, Minister of Rural Development and Food, Christodoulos Antoniadis, President of NEUROPUBLIC and Ioannis Mavroudis, Vice President – Executive Member and Executive Director of NEUROPUBLIC. Representatives from the country’s political and business leadership, local authorities, the academic community and the agricultural world were present at The Met Hotel, with Mr. Christodoulos Antoniadis, President of NEUROPUBLIC, opening the evening, welcoming the attendees to Thessaloniki and to “this important event co-organized by GAIA EPICHEIREIN and NEUROPUBLIC for an issue that is topical and of great importance for our country“, he also stressed that “it is well known that the two companies have been playing a leading role for several years in informing and supporting producers and their collective schemes, while leading the development of agrifood“. Mr. Christodoulos Antoniadis. Then, the President of GAIA EPICHEIREIN, Mr. Christos Avgoulas, who, among other things, said that one can make significant criticisms of the CAP, but cannot overlook the fact that “it is a valuable toolbox for the support and development of the sector which should not be rejected outright when conditions are difficult, but we should make every effort first of all to make the best use of it at national level, but also to seek to improve it together with our EU partners for the benefit of the sustainability of the farmer and the countryside“. The Minister, Mr. Avgenakis. The Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, who delivered the main speech of the event, referred to the current agricultural news and in particular to the issues of the mobilizations. “We understand the anxiety and insecurity of farmers with the data we have. The climate crisis has taken over and the phenomena are not over with the disasters in Thessaly. We have to work wisely and with a perspective for the next period,” he argued, and referred to the aid package announced by the Prime Minister. In his final remarks, the Minister spoke about the prospects opened up by the establishment of agricultural departments in the Chambers of Commerce and also the actions undertaken by our country for cooperation with the countries of the South (EUMED-9) on issues related to climate change in the primary sector. Mrs. Rosa Gargalakou. Rosa Gargalakou, CEO of NEUROPUBLIC, in her turn, spoke about the digital transformation of the agricultural sector, which “is a one-way street and we have been serving it as a company for more than a decade”. “The new CAP clearly recognises the introduction of digital technologies as the most important tool for the transition to an agriculture that is sustainable for the environment but also economically viable for the farmers who practice it. In this direction, digitalisation is a horizontal objective of the CAP, i.e. an objective that serves all the others,” she said. “The crucial question that is being asked globally is not whether ” digitalisation can be implemented ” but whether and how the huge inequalities it can create at the expense of those unable to keep up with its dizzying pace can be addressed. We have no more time to waste,” Ms Gargalakou stressed, to conclude: “In this direction, the country’s decision to invest in the creation of a national public infrastructure for the collection and processing of data for agricultural use is more than promising and is bound to contribute decisively to the widespread use of new technologies in the field.” Mr Paolo de Castro, Member of the European Parliament, former Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development of the European Parliament, former Minister of Agriculture of Italy. Ms Catherine Geslain-Lannéelle, Director of Strategy & Policy Analysis at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture & Rural Development. Mr. Paolo de Castro, Member of the European Parliament, former President of the Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development of the European Parliament, former Minister of Agriculture of Italy, Ms. Catherine Geslain-Lannéelle, Director of Strategy & Policy Analysis of the Directorate-General for Agriculture & Rural Development of the European Commission, and Mr. Giorgos Katsoulis, President of the Association of Agricultural and Cooperative Organizations and Enterprises of Greece (SASOEE) took the floor. Mrs. Elli Tsiforou. The first part of the event was completed with conclusions by Mrs. Elli Tsiforou, Managing Director of GAIA EPICHEIREIN, who emphasized that “there should be an end to the tension, the polarization between the economic and environmental/climatic dimensions of agricultural activity and the corresponding objectives of the Green Deal of the CAP. The golden mean between economy and environment-climate must be found”. The evening ended with a seated dinner where the attendees had the opportunity to enjoy a fine, specially designed menu with products from producers and businesses that apply the principles of smart farming and, in particular, the advice of NEUROPUBLIC’s innovative gaiasense system. Specifically, potatoes from the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Messinia, tomato products from D. Nomikos S.A., green olives from Chalkidiki from G. Mylonopoulos & Co., cheeses from Moschos Farm, legumes from the company Arossis, beef from the Agricultural Cooperative of Kastoria, kiwifruit from the Agricultural Cooperative “Neos Aliakmon” and oranges from the company Anyfion Greece S.A. In all the preparations, olive oil from the company Terra Creta was used, while the dinner was accompanied by wine from the winery Kir Yianni Estate. The President of NEUROPUBLIC, Mr. Christodoulos Antoniadis with the MEP Mr. Nikos Papandreou. The CEO of NEUROPUBLIC, Rosa Gargalakou with the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis. Mr. Yannis Boutaris, former Mayor of Thessaloniki, also welcomed the participants. Mr. George Katsoulis, President of the Association of Agricultural and Cooperative Organizations and Enterprises of Greece (SASOEE). The event was attended by, among others, the Members of the Southwestern Parliament Mr. Stavros Kalafatis and Fanis Pappas, the MEP PASOK-KINAL, Mr. Nikos Papandreou, the Secretary General of Rural Development and Food, Mr. George Stratakos, the former Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr. Yannis Boutaris, the interim President of OPEKEPE, Mr. Kyriakos Babasidis, the President of Geot.E.E., Mr. Menelaos Gardikiotis, the President of the Interprofessional Organization of Cotton, Mr. Efthymis Fotinos, the President of the Interprofessional Organization of Meat, Mr. Yannis Fassoulas, the Team Leader for Digitisation from DG Agriculture EU, Ms Evangelia Mourmoura, the former Member of the South-Western Parliament, Mr Kostas Kiltidis, the temporary Vice-Presidents of OPEKEPE, Mr. Eleftherios Zervos and Mr Kourdis Ioannis, the General Secretary of OPEKEPE, Mr Eleftherios Zervos and Mr. Kourdis Ioannis, the President of the European Commission, Mr. Kourdis, the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Commission. Mr. Eleftherios Zervier and Mr. Kierkerios, Mr. Alkiviadis Alexandrou, General Manager of Agricultural Banking of Piraeus Bank, representatives of the LATSCO Family Office, who hold a minority share in the share capital of NEUROPUBLIC, representatives of large agronomic offices and Presidents of Agricultural Cooperatives – shareholders of GAIA EPICHEIREIN from all over the country, and many others. The Municipality of Thessaloniki was represented by the Deputy Mayor of Entrepreneurship & Citizen Service, Mr. Pantelis Kazantzidis, who addressed the attendees.
gaiasense at the 30th Agrotica International Fair The 30th International Exhibition of Agricultural Machinery, Equipment and Supplies, Agrotica, which welcomed more than 150,000 visitors from 1 to 4 February at the Helexpo International Exhibition Centre in Thessaloniki, was the focal point of the agricultural world from all over the country and the wider Balkan region. Focusing on digitalisation, innovation and high technology in agricultural production, this year’s Agrotica once again emphatically set the dominant priorities of the primary sector at an international level. Of course, NEUROPUBLIC, the company that leads the developments in agriculture and, in particular, the in green and digital transformation of the agricultural sector, could not be absent from the event. In fact, the Piraeus-based technology and IT company was at Agrotica with its own booth where it presented all its latest innovations, as well as the technological “tools” it has developed to help farmers improve and rationalize their production. The complete solution for the effective treatment of olive tree fruit fly has the signature of NEUROPUBLIC. In detail, the people who passed through the gates of this year’s Agrotica had the opportunity to discuss with NEUROPUBLIC representatives how they can improve their agricultural production and see for themselves: gaiaTRAP, the most comprehensive solution for the effective control of olive fruit fly, which is based on the latest technology of electronic lace traps and an electronic platform, using AI (Artificial Intelligence) developed in collaboration with the Smart Sension technoblast of the Ionian University, the new functionalities of the gaiasense mobile app and, in particular, the fertilization advice and the nutrient balance that help the producer to calculate the nutrient needs of his crop, get personalised advice and benefit from the aid of the Ecological Programmes, the capabilities of the Smart Weather by gaiasense platform, which offers a 5-day weather forecast throughout Greece, as well as 24-hour historical data from the 400 agro-meteorological stations of the gaiasense network. At the same time, the programme did not lack events. Thus, NEUROPUBLIC, in cooperation with GAIA EPIXEIREIN, organized on Friday, February 2, a working dinner entitled “The Common Agricultural Policy today and in the future: ecological and digital transformation for a sustainable Greek agriculture” and the presence of selected representatives of the political, academic, business and agricultural world. Specifically, the main speech at the event was delivered by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, while the following participated with their statements. Christodoulos Antoniadis, President of NEUROPUBLIC, Christos Avgoulas, President of GAIA EPICHREIN, Rosa Gargalakou, CEO of NEUROPUBLIC, Paolo de Castro, Member of the European Parliament, former Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development of the European Parliament, Catherine Geslain-Lannéelle, Director of Strategy & Policy Analysis of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture & Rural Development, George Katsoulis, President of the Association of Agricultural and Cooperative Organisations and Enterprises of Greece (SASOEE), and Elli Tsiforou, CEO of GAIA EPIXEIREIN. George Stratakos, Secretary General of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, Minister of Rural Development and Food, Christodoulos Antoniadis, President of NEUROPUBLIC and Ioannis Mavroudis, Vice President – Executive Member and Executive Advisor of NEUROPUBLIC. Companies from the entire spectrum of agricultural production and technology, a multitude of associations, organizations and institutions, as well as educational foundations and ordinary farmers came to the 30th Agrotica to bring to the fore all the critical issues of Greek agriculture and the dynamics of the primary sector, while not failing to highlight the products, services, innovations and technology that change the “face” of agri-food.
NEUROPUBLIC supports for once more the Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture The Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture, organized for the 9th year by GAIA EPICHEIREIN, is in the finishing line, as the event-institution for the primary and wider agri-food sector of our country will take place on Monday, July 17, 2023 at the gaiasense HUB building in Piraeus, and will be broadcast online. With the main theme “Greek agriculture towards 2030: winning the sustainability bet with the assistance of the CAP”, the 9th Congress will focus on strengthening the sustainability and resilience of European and Greek agriculture in the face of the major challenges of climate change and geopolitical shocks, but also on the need to produce more – and better – with less through the green and digital transition of the production process. The 2030 milestone is particularly important in this direction, as it is a deadline for achieving the targets set by the farm-to-table and biodiversity strategies, as well as the EU’s climate target to reduce emissions within its borders by at least 55% compared to 1990 levels. Legislation serving these ambitious objectives, some of which is already underway, is foreseen to be gradually integrated into the CAP National Strategic Plans, radically changing the production profile of European and Greek agriculture. In this context, the 9th Congress will be the starting point for an in-depth debate on the current global, EU and national climate-related challenges affecting the agricultural sector, the relevant CAP instruments, as well as national strategic options and best practices from EU Member States. Ally, as always, in the effort for correct and responsible information of farmers, NEUROPUBLIC supports again the most important event for the information of the agricultural world and the promotion of dialogue for its future. Thus, the company is again this year a major sponsor of the 9th Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture. In fact, NEUROPUBLIC’s Executive Director, Ioannis Mavroudis, will speak on innovative consulting services for the green and digital transition of the agri-food sector. At the “heart” of his speech will be, of course, the gaiasense smart farming system that brings high technology to every field and helps farmers to improve their production both quantitatively and qualitatively, reduce environmental impact and, ultimately, create added value in their products. The Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture will also be broadcast live via a digital platform, which you can register for free using the following link: 9th Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture (eventora.com)