The objective is to enhance Umbrian agri-food excellence and promote an important international event
In Perugia, in collaboration with Coldiretti Umbria, BRIFF organized the conference “Italian Food and Feed CIIE 2024 Promotion-Agri-food excellences of Umbria” to enhance Umbria’s agri-food excellences and to promote an important international event organized by the Ministry of Commerce Chinese, the CIIE (China International Import Expo), which takes place every year in the first week of November in Shanghai.
The conference was attended by, among others, the First Secretary of the Permanent Representation of Food and Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Yang Hui, the President of BRIFF, the association linked to the agri-food and feed sector, which promotes export of Italian excellence and encourages meetings with Italian and Chinese operators Min Chang, the Director of the CIIE International Cooperation Division Yi Han, the General Director of the Milan branch of Bank of China Jiang Xu, the President of Coldiretti Umbria Albano Agabiti, Anna Chiacchierini President of Coldiretti Perugia and Roberto Morroni Vice President of the Umbria Region and Regional Councilor for Agriculture, Federico Sisti, General Secretary of the Umbria Chamber of Commerce, as well as the companies in the Umbrian agri-food sector involved. Taking part in the online event were the First Secretary of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China Xiong Junyan, Benedetta Cappelletti, Veterinary Director of the export unit of the General Directorate of Animal Health and Veterinary Medicines, and some representatives of very important Chinese bodies, including Yu Lu, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce Import-Export agri-food and animal products sector of the People’s Republic of China, and Jia Meng General Director of the Freshippo group.
Among our commitments – explains Albano President of Coldiretti Umbria – is also that of broadening the boundaries of Made in Umbria agri-food, facilitating the export of local quality excellence and the internationalization of businesses. Even if our agri-food exports around the world are already worth several hundred million euros, we need to implement the basket of our agri-food products that reach abroad, with a lot of work that remains to be done even with a view to simple promotion. To increase the competitiveness of our producers, it is necessary to encourage those investments that overcome the structural “limitations” of companies, which facilitate growth in production volumes and which facilitate corporate structuring and organization aimed at exports. But we also need to continue working at an institutional level, to overcome all the various technical barriers that still slow down our agri-food shipments abroad.
We have been working for some time – reports Anna Chiacchierini President of Coldiretti Perugia – to export the Umbrian production model also to SMEs abroad and to counteract Italian sounding. This initiative to promote certain types of Umbrian agri-food excellence goes hand in hand with our work to also enhance rural and experiential tourism which is also based on quality agricultural production. Precisely to give the Chinese delegations the opportunity to personally discover our agricultural realities interested in the event, in particular the Azienda Agricola La Valletta di Colfiorito (legumes and cereals), the Aprol Umbria Association (extra virgin olive oil), the Cooperative Meat Producers Direct Farmers S. Nicolò di Montecastrilli and the Azienda Agricola Montioni di Montefalco (oil and wine), visits to the company have also been planned for the occasion to directly show not only the work of the entrepreneurs, but also the beauty of our environment rural and the richness of its traditions.
An initiative useful not only for the “trade balance” – concludes Chiacchierini – but also for the growth of our culture and our production model abroad, and for the diversification of the activities of our agricultural businesses.
