UNIDO supports 20 companies in fruit and vegetable exhibition

MOGADISHU & ROME, September 29th 2020 — With support provided by UNIDO, more than 20 Somali companies took part in Macfrut Digital, the leading Italian exhibition in the fruit and vegetable sector — albeit electronically this year.

The Somali companies, assisted by the Entrepreneurship Development Units (EDUs) established by UNIDO in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baidoa, received more than 50 requests for partnerships from several countries, primarily buyers interested in tropical fruits and citrus, as well as technology providers in the horticulture sector.

The Somali virtual presence also included a video message to potential business partners from the country’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Abdullahi Ali Hassan.

According to UNIDO, Macfrut 2020 was a valuable opportunity to open up the international market for traders and buyers in this difficult time of uncertainty.

In the weeks to come, UNIDO and the EDUs will be following-up the negotiations established after the exhibition between foreign companies and Somali small- to medium-sized enterprises.

This activity was implemented within the framework of the ‘Agro-technology development for Economic Growth in central and south Somalia’ project funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, with the participation of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Somalia Chamber of Commerce and Industry offices in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baidoa (hosting the EDUs) and the technical support of the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion office.

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