The Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGDC) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC) is presenting a development project entitled “Agricultural Supply Chains in Oromia” on Wednesday 8 July 2015 at Cascina Triulza at EXPO Milan. The initiative, a collaboration with the Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare (IAO), illustrates good practice in collaboration between Italy and Ethiopia.
The project is part of the “Growth and Transformation Plan 2010-15”, which focuses on the rapid industrialisation of Ethiopia, starting with the transformation of agriculture, with the aim of meeting the growing demand for food and improving the balance of payments.
The workshop will take as its starting point the durum wheat supply chain for the production of high quality pasta. Its aims are to show that cooperatives of small farmers are already making the significant advances in the technological, production, commercial and managerial spheres that make them reliable partners for the Italian pasta industry. The workshop will also illustrate the key role played by scientific and technological knowledge for sustainable development projects in economic, social and environmental terms. Lastly, it will show Ethiopia’s potential to attract public and private inward investment to develop agri-food supply chains.
The proceedings will be opened by Ethiopia’s Deputy Minister for Industry, Mebrahtu Meles, the Director General for Development Cooperation, Giampaolo Cantini; the Director General of the IAO, Mariarosa Stevan; and Francesca Ronca, from the International Pasta Organization (IPO).
Other participants include Tiberio Chiari, IAO Technical Director for the project; Tafa Jobie Bedanie, of the Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) in Ethiopia; Dejene Tezera, UNIDO; and a delegation of around 30 Ethiopian business people led by Abeba Tesfaye Meteku, Deputy President of the Ethiopian Millers’ Association (EMA). The delegation will have back-to-back meetings with Italian entrepreneurs and will visit our pasta producers, including production technology suppliers.
Journalists, photographers and TV crews interested in following the event should first obtain accreditation for EXPO 2015 at least 2.3 working days before arrival, using the link: https://accreditation.expo2015.org/mediahome.aspx?lang=IT.
They should then apply for accreditation with the Ministry by sending an email to dgcs.eventi@esteri.i
