A Macfrut delegation headed by President Renzo Piraccini is now in Beijing, China, to present the 2017 edition of the fair. The press conference with journalists and operators was held on 13th January.
Left to right: Mario Boccaccini and Ernesto De Marinis (Coface), Renzo Piraccini (Macfrut), Paolo Lucchi (sindaco di Cesena), Luca Braia (Basilicata council member)
Piraccini launched a proposal perfect for the great potential of the Chinese market. "Apples, kiwis and table grapes are only three of the Italian products that cannot be sold in various countries due to phytosanitary protocols."
"In Italy, we complicate things. Just think that Poland concluded its apple dossier in China in only 8 months. We have been at a standstill for the past 4 years and a half. We need to become more active and that's why we have thought of creating a work group for every single country and geographical area."
"This way, we could solve many of the problems quickly. Italian products are very popular abroad, especially in China, and we need to make it possible for exporters to ship by air, when possible. We need to focus on a few countries with a great potential."
In addition to China, Japan, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are also interesting destinations.
But who can we turn to for solutions? Of course the Ministry for Agricultural Policy and the Ministry for Economic Development, as well as other organisations such as the Regions, Cso Italy, exporters and Macfrut.
"We cannot miss out on chances like these, even though we have already missed out on some of them. For example, the port of Piraeus is already acquired by the Chinese and the risk is they will create a monopoly. We need to become part of it so our produce can be delivered all over the East."
"We have considerable knowledge for what concerns income insurances. If the entrepreneur, Coface and a third-party subject cooperate, we can obtain insurances through a sustainable system," explained Coface CEO Ernesto De Martinis.