Kenya in partnership with the Agricultural Food Authority (AFA) has signed an MoU that will see Fruits and vegetables exported to Italy.

The MoU with Macfrut, the premier fruit and vegetable exhibition organisation from Italy focuses on cooperation in horticultural promotion between Kenyan and Italian companies.

According to documents seen by The Standard, the three-year MoU aims to create a working partnership between both organisations to foster the development of fruits and vegetables partnerships between Kenyan and Italian companies in the agribusiness sector.

The documents indicate that Macfrut will facilitate the organisation of an exhibition event in Kenya for the local fruits and vegetable sector for the internationalisation of Kenyan agricultural products in Italy and Europe.

The Macfrut fair will each year organise an event in Kenya for the local fruit and vegetable sector, with the participation of both public and private stakeholders, research institutes, as well as the presence of Kenyan and Italian companies interested in doing business.

In turn, AFA will mobilise key industry stakeholders in Kenya to participate in both the annual Macfrut fair in Italy and the local exhibition.

AFA will also organize business-to-business (B2B) for Kenyan exhibitors with Italian Exhibitors and organize the Kenyan participation at Macfrut with an exhibition of 100 square meters area with custom stand set-up.

Cornelly Serem, chairman of the Agriculture and Food Authority said Macfrut has been identified as strategic for the development of the fruit and vegetable sector due to its technical characteristics during Macfrut fair period over the years.

Serem said the MoU will play a key role in strengthening the cooperation between AFA and MACFRUT to improve market access and trade for fruits, vegetables, nuts and oil crops and products for the benefit of the citizens.

According to him, the parties will carry out together Technical and Commercial Cooperation initiatives addressed to the development of the agriculture sector (fruits, vegetables, cut flowers and oil crops sectors) according to the characteristics and possibilities of each of the stakeholders, within the framework of the Macfrut event.

“Many out there want to venture into fruits and vegetables but they are not very sure whether the market is available; but seeing you (macfrut) and the confidence with which you have presented this idea, we assure you that we will produce the best quality,” said Serem.

AFA will regulate, develop and promote scheduled crop value chains for increased economic growth in Kenya, for identified crop value chains.

Serem’s sentiments were echoed by Macfrut’s President Renzo Praccini who said the Macfrut trade fair will support the growth of Identified technicians and producers in cold chain, fruit and vegetable farms, nuts and oil crop farms, agro-processors in fruits, vegetables, nuts and oil crop sectors and transfer and exchange of new technologies.

Other areas include organic fruit fields, biosolution, irrigation systems, fruit processing companies and visiting the supermarkets/wholesale markets and other value chain players.

Macfrut will also hold business-2-business meetings with international buyers and supermarket chains/importers, with exhibitors from the Kenyan stand who will participate at the trade fair.

“We have engaged in a serious conversation with the Italian Trade Agency here in Kenya to help us identify ways and gaps in the market industry; therefore, the agreement we sign today is a long-term strategy to ensure we can expand our relationship with Kenyan farmers, producers and professionals,” said Praccini.

For 39 years, Macfrut has been one of the leading international trade fairs in the fruit and vegetable.

The fair is divided into thematic areas and represents the entire fruit and vegetable value chain from the seed sector to the technologies from the marketing to the packaging sector, with particular emphasis on innovation.

The fair model proposed by Macfrut seeks to combine business with knowledge, and it is of growing interest among operators in the sector worldwide.

Since 2013, the main associations, cooperatives and companies of the fruit and vegetable sector have regularly been attending MACFRUT, as exhibitors and buyers.

In recent years, they have been one of the most numerous delegations present at the Fair.

MACFRUT is strongly interested in the technical development of agriculture stakeholders and offers to them its skills and the complete agricultural supply chain of the Region of Emilia Romagna/Italy.

This Region operates in the territory as a reference point for research and training tools for the Ministry of Agriculture.

As an institution, it provides policies for the development of the Agricultural, Fisheries and Rural Development Sector.

The purpose is to guide and direct the formulation of plans, programs and projects required for the agricultural and economic development of the Country.

Source - www.standardmedia.co.k