World\\\'s leading agriculture fair opens amid recovery concerns

BERLIN, Jan 17 (Xinhua): The 80th International Green Week, a leading global agriculture fair, opened to visitors in Berlin Friday, attracting thousands of traders looking for business opportunities at a time when the overall economy was not satisfying.
The trade fair, which dated back to 1926 and claimed to be the largest exhibition for agriculture, food industry and horticulture, attracted a total of 1,658 exhibitors from 68 countries and regions this year.
The organiser said it attracted a record number of exhibitors in 44 years, nearly 40 per cent of them came from abroad.
From Friday to January 25, some 400,000 visitors would be able to experience a diversity of food items, animals, flowers and other specialties from around the world at a display area covering 130, 000 square meters.
For trade visitors, especially those from Europe where economic situation was yet to improve, the fair would be a chance for them to find new opportunities.
"This year Germany's farming industry faces big challenges. Good harvests and a weakening economy have resulted in the markets for farming produce coming under pressure in many parts," said German Farmers' Union President Joachim Rukwied.