A number of leading German retail buyers are visiting citrus companies in the Italian regions of Calabria and Sicily this week as part of a buying mission organised by agricultural organisation Confagricoltura.
The mission, now in its third year, is designed to help the buyers research new markets and develop closer ties with leading Italian producers, suppliers and exporters.
'This is a category in which the German market is showing keen interest and which offers significant opportunities for growth,' said a spokesperson for the group. 'Italy is the undisputed world leader, as shown by figures from the first few months of 2010, which illustrate a notable increase in exports both in terms of quantity and value.'
According to figures published by Istat, Italy's citrus exports have enjoyed something of a renaissance in 2010, despite a 60 per cent downturn during January and February 2010.
Sales during the first seven months of the year increased 82 per cent year-on-year to €132.7m, while export volumes rose 114 per cent to 217,576 tonnes.
