The 44th edition of EIMA International, the world exhibition of machinery, equipment and components for agriculture and landscaping, was held in Bologna, Italy from 19 to 23 October.
The event, the first international event in the sector after the suspension of trade shows activities imposed by the health emergency, was attended by 1,350 exhibiting companies, 350 of which are foreign, representing over 40 countries and displaying more than 40 thousand models in the 14 specialized sectors and 5 theme shows “Components”, “Green”, “Energy”, “Digital” and “Hydrotech” in which the event is divided.
During the presentation in Bologna, Simona Rapastella, General Manager of FederUnacoma, the Italian federation of manufacturers that organizes the event, commented: “The number of exhibitors is very positive if we consider that, due to force majeure connected to Covid restrictions, companies from some important countries are missing, such as China or India, which were present with more than 300 industries at the last edition and which should return, together with manufacturers from other countries, in the next edition in November 2022”.
Apart from the limitations still in force for some areas, EIMA 2021 confirms its international character. During the five days of the exhibition, in addition to agricultural entrepreneurs and mechanization technicians, businesspeople from all over the world including a delegation from Ethiopia attended the Exhibition, interested in negotiating the purchase of machinery that responds to the specific needs of the various farming and business models.
A wide range of categories, new products and absolute previews were the traditional strong points of the event. The Technical Innovation Competition has been confirmed, which rewards the innovative solutions designed by manufacturers for all types of agricultural work.
Focus on training young people in agriculture
The theme of education and training for technicians in the sector and for the farmers of the future was in the spotlight of EIMA International, the great exhibition of machinery for agriculture and gardening. The evolution of skills in the agro-mechanical field requires a new generation of technicians who, depending on the functions they will perform, will have to come from much more specialized educational and training paths than those of today. The issue was addressed at a conference entitled “Reforming agricultural upper schools to meet new needs”, promoted in cooperation with FederUnacoma by Agia, the organization that represents young farmers within Cia.
The motor world ready for the “green revolution”
At EIMA, a debate is opening among operators in the agricultural sector to offer a contribution to Community strategies for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. A comparison in view of the turning points in the Community policy for environmental protection, which have not yet produced a deadline for the entry into force of the ban on the sale of endothermic engines for self-propelled agricultural vehicles. “For now, we are talking about working plans that are open to improvements that can be made by all the players in the agricultural world,” says Marco Pezzini, head of the EU policy sector of FederUnacona, the federation of Italian manufacturers. This is a somewhat reassuring message – which emerged at the ‘Green Deal and Powertrain technology’ meeting, in the face of recently circulated speculation that the ban should come into force in a binding manner as early as 2035.
However, the agricultural machinery industry is ready to face the green revolution, as the companies in the sector confirm. “We are working on two lines of engine optimization to make them run on environmentally friendly fuels,” explains Diego Rotti, Product Marketing Manager Off-Road at FptIndustrial, “but it will still take time to develop solutions based on hydrogen or electrification”. “In any case, there are already hybrid or methane engines with a lower environmental impact,” says Rotti. The road has been mapped out, as Stefano Fiorani, Tractor Innovation Manager at New HollandAgriculture, confirms. We are ready,” says Fiorani, “to meet the demands coming from Europe, our company has already put machines with methane engines into production and we have created a prototype of an electrified specialist tractor.” Companies are already building the future. But they urge the European Commission’s top management to remember that the agricultural sector has several souls, from animal husbandry to extensive farming to specialized farming.
TOTY, the spectacle of technology
The inaugural day of EIMA International saw the proclamation of the “Tractor of the Year”, the tractor voted by an international jury of journalists as the best performing from the shortlist of 14 finalist models. The “Tractor of the Year” award went to John Deere’s 7R 350 AutoPowr models, which won the prize in particular for its on-board technology. The “Best of Specialized” category, reserved for specialized crop tractors, was won by the Reform model H75 PRO, which stood out for its comfort and safety features, while the “Best Utility” award went to another John Deere, the 6120M AutoPowr, praised for its versatility. Finally, the “Sustainable TOTY” award, for models with particular qualities in terms of environmental compatibility, went to New Holland’s T6.180 Methane Power tractor, for its low environmental impact fuel supply.