The Italian fresh produce industry has attracted strong attention at this year's World Food Moscow trade fair in Russia, marketing and trade organisation CSO has revealed.
According to the group, its European Flavors stand, which is co-financed by the EU and the Italian government, has hosted several of the country's leading fresh fruit and vegetable buyers alongside leading players in the Italian sector.
'Italy is an increasingly important partner in terms of supplying fruit and vegetables to the Russian market,' commented CSO president Luciano Trentini.
'The data confirm growth in our exports during the three years from 2008 to 2010, in which time the figure has gone from 83,000 tonnes to 104,256 tonnes of fruit.'
Fruit continues to make up the lion's share of Italian fresh produce exports to Russia, which were worth more than €12m in 2010.
'I've been very impressed with the strong interest that Russian companies have shown towards the Italian offer,' said Paolo Bruni, president of both CSO and EU agricultural federation Cogeca, who was also in Moscow to attend the trade fair.
'Italy's products are recognised for, and distinguished by, their characteristic high quality,' he said.
Bruni added that the Italian trade would continue to do all it could to be expand its markets worldwide by becoming more dynamic and more competitive, especially when it came to operational areas such as logistics.
'Here in Moscow,' he concluded, 'we have laid the groundwork to consolidate our commercial standing, thanks to the work being done by the Italian House of Fresh Produce at its office here in Moscow and the support from the Emilia-Romagna region and members of CSO.'
