The Ambassador of Italy to Mali, Stefano A. Dejak, together with the staff of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), welcomed the mission to Mali from 3 to 6 March of MacFrut, which was attended by MacFrut President Renzo Piraccini and Stefano Posillico, commercial director of the Orsero Group, one of the largest European importers and distributors of tropical fruits
president of MacFrut Renzo Piraccini and Stefano Posillico, commercial director of the Orsero Group, one of Europe's largest importers and distributors of tropical fruit. This was announced in a statement by the Italian Embassy in Bamako.
The mission aims to develop business collaborations between Italian companies and Malian exporters, in synchrony with the 3.5 million euro project 'An Ka Baraa' funded by the Italian Development Cooperation for the promotion of professional training and assistance to Malian companies, aimed at developing the Malian labour market and increasing business opportunities for Italian companies in Mali.
Mango, in particular, a tropical fruit with enormous potential in the Italian and European markets, is the focal interest of Italian companies. Although the quality of the mango produced in Mali is among the best in the world, and Mali is the most important producer in Africa,' continues the statement from the Italian Embassy in Bamako, 'only a fraction of the current production is exported.
The project entrusted by AICS to Ilo is aimed precisely at supporting Malian companies to increase the marketing and export of mangoes to European markets. The mission of the past few days has therefore further strengthened the relations that began with Piraccini's first visit to Bamako in January 2023 and that will be further confirmed with the participation of 50 exhibitors and 85 Malian operators at the MacFrut fair next May in Rimini.
Ambassador Dejak emphasised the importance of this visit to Mali, which is an example of fruitful synergy between the activities of the Italian Development Cooperation and our companies: "The production and marketing of mangoes offers Mali a job creation potential comparable to that of grapes and tomatoes in Italy," said Dejak. "It would mean an important contribution to addressing the chronic shortage of jobs for the hundreds of thousands of young Malians who enter the labour market every year, with the risk of finding no alternative but to swell the flow of irregular migration. Now in its fourth year of participation of large delegations of Malian entrepreneurs at the MacFrut fair in Rimini, developed after the opening of the Italian Embassy in Mali in 2021, we have now reached a first phase of encouraging maturation of business relations, also thanks to the contribution of the AICS project,' he added.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
