Pretoria - The South African delegates who participated in the 6th Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) to Moscow and Novosibirsk in Russia have expressed satisfaction with the trade mission, said the Department of Trade and Industry.
The 25-member business delegation participated in the business seminars, business-to-business meetings and site visits during the mission which took place from 23 - 27 March 2015 in both cities.
The ITI, led by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), targeted businesses in the agriculture and food production industry.
The manager of meat exports at Klein Karoo International from Oudtshoorn, Ries Dempsey, said he was happy to have been part of the mission. Ries said the ITI has enabled him to meet potential buyers who showed interest in ostrich meat, which he started to export to Russia recently.
“I am glad to be part of trade missions like this one as they provide opportunities to meet potential customers and also follow up on already existing links and clients,” said Dempsey on Monday.
He said that he has been able to export to two customers in Russia, whom he met when he participated in the World Food Moscow exhibition in September last year.
“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,” said Dempsey.
He highlighted the importance of making follow-ups and working hard to ensure the success of leads acquired from the trade missions and exhibitions platforms.
Nicolaas Koegelenburg from Rukou Beverages applauded the dti for the successful trade mission. He said he had been able to meet relevant people during the ITI and was optimistic about the business prospects stemming from the mission.
He also expressed appreciation for the dti’s efforts to facilitate the entry of products into the market through ensuring compliance with labelling protocol requirements of the Federal Republic of Russia.
“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,” he said.
The Acting Head of Investment Promotion at the dti, Yunus Hoosen, assured the businesspeople of the efforts to ensure that labelling issues are dealt with to enable more presence of South African products in the Russian market.
“We will get you information that will assist you to comply so that you can start getting your goods in,” he added.
Hoosen also encouraged the businesses to participate in other platforms like the World Food Moscow exhibition in order to increase their chances of penetrating the market. - SAnews.gov.za
