A three-day event was organized in Sicily as part of the promotional activities of the Italian Ministry for Economic Development with the cooperation of ITA (Italian Trade Agency) and involving the Pachino tomato, Syracuse Lemon and Sicilian blood orange consortia.
The meeting between the president of Consorzio di Pachino Salvatore Lentinello, (second from left) and the Japanese delegation occurred inside a greenhouse due to the rain.
The visit of a delegation made up of Japanese buyers and journalists is a part of the initiatives organized following the approval of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and European Union.
On 22nd March 2019, the delegation led by Toshiko Omichi from ICE Tokyo visited a few companies in Pachino. It was welcomed by the president of the consortium Salvatore Lentinello, who also took them to visit "Terre di Capo Passero" and "Cooperativa Aurora". Both the journalists and buyers were impressed with the cultivation methods of this particular type of tomato.
The visit of the greenhouse at Terre di Capo Passero in Pachino.
There are currently no phytosanitary protocols that enable the export of tomatoes to Japan, so the purpose of the visit was only that of showcasing the Italian products in view of possible future collaborations.
Italy holds the 17th place in the list of countries Japan imports food and beverages from.
The representative of ICE Omichi and president Lentinello were very pleased with how the meeting went and were briefly interviewed by FreshPlaza.
Videointerview with Toshiko Omichi and Salvatore Lentinello
The 1 to 4 ratio between the Japanese and Italian populations when it comes to fresh fruit consumption is rather interesting. In Japan, the systematic consumption of fresh fruit was introduced only after the Second World War (for purely cultural reasons).
Existing export protocols only concern oranges, but present a few difficulties. This is because phytosanitary protocols that include the cold treatment require Japanese inspectors to stay in Sicily during preliminary operations, and the cost is unbearable for a single company. They would require the involvement of multiple private and public actors.
A moment during the visit to Coop Aurora, a packer member of Consorzio del Pomodoro di Pachino IGP
The following day was dedicated to lemons from Syracuse but also to a few B2B sessions between Japanese buyers and partners from the three consortia. A convention on "I prodotti a marchio DOP e IGP e il trattato di libero scambio fra Unione europea e Giappone" (PDO and PGI products and the agreement between the EU and Japan) was also held.
Group photo of the Japanese delegation with representatives from the Consortium.
The third and last day was dedicated to the visit of some companies part of Consorzio di tutela dell'arancia rossa di Sicilia.