STORY: Cheese snacks in the Holland Hall are part of the standard tasting session during the opening tour of the Green Week. Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir completed this for the first time in this function on Friday. In the past two years, according to the organizer, “the world’s largest trade fair for food, agriculture and horticulture” in Berlin had been paused due to the pandemic. The Green politician called the official start on Friday an opportunity to say thank you. “Thank you to our farmers for making sure day after day that our plates are set, that the table is set. It is not a matter of course in today’s world because we know that unfortunately there are also people on our planet who have to go to bed hungry, so it should be appreciated that we live in a country where people have enough to eat.” A big topic at the agricultural show is “sustainability”. Among other things, resources should be conserved during production and food waste should be avoided. “”We can accept the challenge that we do not see food security, climate protection and biodiversity as opposites, but that we combine them together to form a profitable story. That’s the challenge. It doesn’t get any lower than that.” According to the trade fair, the audience’s favorites of the past will be retained: the animal and flower halls welcome interested visitors, 12 federal states will present regional specialties. The organizers are expecting around 300,000 guests by January 29. This year there will be around 1,400 in total Exhibitors from 60 countries represented at the Green Week Russia, previously the largest foreign exhibitor with 3,000 square meters, is not present this year.