PARMA, Italy – The 18th edition of Cibus, the International Food Fair organized by Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare, opens today in Parma, the city where the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is based.
The exhibition will continue until May 12. In the wake of the Expo Fair even the figures are breaking records: 3,000 exhibitors on 130,000 square meters of exhibiting area, 70,000 visitors expected, of which15,000 from abroad.
Two thousand top buyers from all continents will arrive; thanks to the cooperation with ICE Agenzia (Italian Trade Commission) and a total investment of more than 3 million Euros, and thanks also to the important contribution of the Government through the Ministry of Economic Development as part of “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” campaign promoting the Italian agri-food products. Concurrently to the fair the “World Food Research and Innovation Forum” and the Federalimentare annual meeting will be held.
“Cibus is a constantly growing exhibition – declared Gian Domenico Auricchio, Chairman of the Fiere di Parma – for the volume of business it generates, its international relevance also in figures: the number of exhibitors has grown by 11% compared to the previous edition and the exhibiting area have increased by 8%.
The venue of the fair is ever more modern and functional: at the West entrance the CIBUSèITALIA pavilion presented at the Expo2015, with more than 1,300 square meters surface area, has been reassembled; the parking lots facing this entrance have been completely paved and the exterior of the pavilions has been renovated and modernized”.
In 2015 the food sector exports reached 37 billion Euros, raising hopes to reach the objective set by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi: 50 billion by 2020.
“In terms of quality, added value and consequently prices paid for our products on international markets, the Italian agri-food exports have no competitors – stressed Luigi Scordamaglia, Chairman of Federalimentare – The objective of 50 billion Euro by the end of the decade would guarantee an increase in direct and indirect employment of about 100,000 units and would open the way for Italian food products to join the European leadership, partially narrowing the gap with the other countries. With an annual export increase of 6-7%, this objective is within our reach.
Today’s challenge is to turn projects that can create jobs and wealth into investments and results in terms of exports of Italian food and beverages to consolidate a positive growth trend.
If Expo2015 celebrated the Italian food model as an international model of reference worldwide, Cibus current edition will strengthen that achievement. We are already looking further, as we work towards bolstering international participation to future events by offering more services and more competitive advantages to Italian companies that promote their products on world markets“.
In the meantime Cibus continues its evolution from sector leading exhibition to a permanent platform for knowledge and promotion to sustain the Italian agri-food exports.
“Cibus 2016 is the finish line of years of work – stressed Fiere di Parma CEO Antonio Cellie – during which we have participated side by side with the Italian food companies in the most important international sector exhibitions (from Beijing to Bangkok, from Chicago to San Francisco), organized road shows (Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore) and meetings with the international buyers in the Cibus Market Check (from Moscow to New York, from São Paulo to Shanghai).
The challenge in the years ahead is to turn Cibus into a permanent platform for promotion abroad, serving Made-in-Italy food companies and institutions. With 3,000 thousand exhibiting companies and all the flavours of the Italian food products, we will present to the world an extraordinary image of our wealth of know-how throughout all the supply chains”.
