Berlin Int'l Green Week kicks off amid farmer protests

BERLIN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The International Green Week, a leading trade fair for food, agriculture and horticulture, opened to visitors on Friday in the German capital Berlin amidst protests by farmers against planned subsidy cuts.

Hundreds of tractors and trucks obstructed traffic around the exhibition grounds. The protests already started at the end of last year. First concessions by the German government, promising to eliminate some of the cuts, did not satisfy the farmers.

German Minister of Agriculture Cem Oezdemir, who plays a key role in the government's appeasement efforts, used the opening of the Green Week to thank the farmers who "ensure that we have tables set every day."

The Green Week will run until Jan. 28. The trade fair is "a showcase for German agriculture and the food industry" in Germany, Oezdemir said, stressing that it was also a "window to the world."

A total of around 1,400 exhibitors from 60 countries and regions will inform visitors about modern agriculture and the food industry, culinary trends and sustainable topics, according to the organizers.

Also in Germany, the 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture will host numerous events on the topic of "Food Systems for Our Future: Joining Forces for a Zero Hunger World," according to Germany's Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

On Saturday, the Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference will gather around 70 agricultural ministers from across the world, as well as representatives of international organizations.