From 16th to 18th September, the Italian Embassy in Zimbabwe, with the assistance of the ICE Agency in Johannesburg, organised a business forum in Harare focusing on the agri-food sector, attended by a group of specialist Italian companies who presented the “Italian Agrifood Technology for Africa” project.
The delegation, which had travelled from Mozambique and was led by Renzo Piraccini, President of Agrifood Consulting, included representatives from seven Italian companies: UNITEC, GREENEXTA, ARETÈ, F.C. Engineering, Tropical Food Machinery, Cibus Tec and TUTTOFOOD.
The business mission, the first to Zimbabwe in several years, took place thanks to the close collaboration between Zimbabwe’s Ministries of Agriculture, of Industry and Commerce, and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI).
Key sectoral associations were also present, including the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), ZIMTRADE, the Horticultural Development Council (HDC) and the Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA).
After a private event held at the Italian Residence on 16th September, which included the Minister for Land and Rural Development and the Chief Executive Officer of CZI, amongst other stakeholders, the following day, the Italian entrepreneurs, had had the opportunity to present themselves to the local business representatives, Ministries and Associations. This was followed by several focused B2B meetings.
During the proceedings, the possibility of developing pilot projects in the tomato production and processing sector was also discussed.
The Chairman of the delegation, Mr Renzo Piraccini highlighted the interesting and tangible opportunities emerging in the entire Southern African region, and specifically also in Zimbabwe, with the potential of successful and mutually beneficial forms of cooperation across this sector as a whole.
Friday the 18th was devoted to field visits. The Italian representatives were hosted by their respective counterparts and had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their business and agricultural facilities, with the aim of exploring potential areas of cooperation and developing joint initiatives.
At the end of the two-day programme, the Italian Ambassador, Giuseppe Giacalone, highlighted the strengths of this significant initiative, which received considerable attention from the local authorities and was also widely covered by the local media. “This business visit provided an important opportunity for dialogue between the various stakeholders involved and enabled us to explore, in practical terms, the commercial relations and potential opportunities for collaboration between Italy and Zimbabwe,” commented Giacalone, adding that it was “a useful opportunity to showcase innovative Italian techniques in the agricultural sector, which could help boost cultivation and increase local production, whilst also capitalising on the positive trend currently being experienced by the Zimbabwean economy.”
Business mission to Zimbabwe. Launch of the – Italian Agrifood Technology for Africa project.
