Italian fruit and vegetable sector eyeing expansion in the MENA region at Gulfood 2020

• A top team of the Azzurri’s fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers will showcase a range of premier quality products to regional distributors at Gulfood;
• UAE imports of Italian kiwis, apples and oranges increased from 23 tonnes in 2017 to over 36 tonnes in 2018

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 16th February 2020: Leading Italian fruit and vegetable suppliers will be exhibiting at Gulfood 2020, thanks to an initiative led by CSO Italy, the Italian fruit and vegetable cooperative, and the European Union.

Italian companies including Mazzoni, Oranfrizer and Conserve Italia will showcase a range of products including fruit purees, oranges, lemons, mandarins as well as tomatoes. The latest statistics from CSO Italy have revealed Italian fruits and vegetables, namely kiwis, apples and oranges increased by 55% to 36.165 tonnes in 2018 from 23.31 tonnes in 2017.

Elisa Macchi from CSO Italy, said: “Thanks to its unique climate and environmental conditions, Italy is one of the leading fruits and vegetable producing countries in Europe, with nearly 10 million tonnes of fruit and 14 million tonnes of fresh vegetables produced in 2018.  Thanks to the quality, taste and unique aesthetics, Italy exports over AED20 million worth of fruit and vegetable around the world, a figure we are keen to increase with our continued expansion into the UAE.