Cape Town - South African food producers are hoping the recent Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) in Moscow and Novosibirsk will open doors for exports to the Russian market.
“I am happy to have been part of the mission. The ITI has enabled me to meet potential buyers who showed interest in the ostrich meat, which I started exporting to Russia recently,” said Ries Dempsey, the manager of Meat Exports at Klein Karoo International, on Monday.
Dempsey was part of a 25-member business delegation participating in the ITI from March 23-27, targeting the agriculture and food production industry.
The ITI, led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), saw participants involved in seminars, business-to-business meetings, and site visits in Moscow and Novosibirsk.
Participants like Dempsey met potential customers and were able to follow up on existing links and clients.
“I have been able to export to two customers in Russia, whom I met when I participated in the World Food Moscow exhibition in September last year,” said Dempsey.
“We have already supplied 72 tons of ostrich meat to our clients in Moscow since then and we believe that more orders will come through from these customers.”
Another participant, Nicolaas Koegelenburg from Rukou Beverages, said he was also able to meet relevant people through ITI and was optimistic about business prospects in Russia.
Koegelenburg thanked the DTI for facilitating entry into the Russian market by ensuring South African exporters’ compliance to the federal republic’s labelling protocol.
“We have identified opportunities in this market and it is important that we grab them as soon as possible. We need government to support us on that and keep us informed of developments,” said Koegelenburg.
Yunus Hoosen, the acting head of investment promotion at the DTI, assured the department’s commitment to enabling better presence of South African products in Russia’s market.
“We will get you information that will assist you to comply so that you can start getting your goods in,” said Hoosen.
He also encouraged businesses to participate in other platforms similar to the World Food Moscow exhibition in order to increase their chances of penetrating the market.
ANA