Mali is the leading mango producer in Africa with about 800,000 tonnes, of which only 11,000 are exported. "The distance from the port of embarkation of the refrigerated containers (Abidjan or Dakar) and the lack of a good cold chain are the main problems that prevent the exports of this product. In this context, a project to support Malian companies in order to increase the export of mangoes, financed by AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) and managed by ILO (United Nations agency), was set up at Macfrut in 2019 and is now entering the operational phase," reports Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut, who recently went on a mission to Mali.
"The mission, which was in the presence of one of the most important European importers of tropical fruit, aims at sounding out the possibilities of some companies of Mali to start exporting mangoes already from this campaign. Macfrut was there only during the three days of the exhibition, but it supports its exhibitors all year round, thereby favouring networking."
The mission involved Mali, the eighth largest state in Africa, with a population of over 21 million inhabitants. Piraccini and Stefano Posillico, product manager of Gruppo Orsero, i.e. one of the most important European importers and distributors of tropical fruit, took part in the mission, which was possible thanks to the support of the Italian Ambassador Stefano Dejak. The aim was to create business partnerships between Italian and Malian exporters. The visit included B2B meetings, visits to local companies, packaging, and storage facilities.
Mali is the most important producer of mangoes in Africa with about 800 thousand tonnes, of which only 11 thousand are destined to be exported. The potential is therefore enormous, even if the distance to the port of embarkation of the refrigerated containers (Abidjan or Dakar) and the lack of an efficient cold chain are the main problems preventing the development of exports of this product.
"This mission explains very well what Macfrut represents - not only an event during the three days of the exhibition but a pathway throughout the whole year to promote businesses and networking relations, two of the key words of Macfrut. The confirmation of the presence of a delegation from Mali also in the next edition of Macfrut, with an even larger group of 50 exhibitors and a total delegation of 85 operators (including 15 buyers for Fieravicola), is a clear sign that many countries of the African continent have chosen this exhibition because of its unique format in the panorama of international trade fairs of the sector."
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