TRENDS
Pasta in Ethiopia
could become
a major national food
Pasta tasting
and show
cooking at the
Pasta Event
26
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PASTA
January/March 2015
TRENDS
For its future wheat
and pasta production,
the African country
counts on the first
Ethiopian Pasta Event
in Addis Ababa
by Delia Maria Sebelin
The speakers’ table: the Conference was held in Amharic, the local language,
and it was simultaneously translated into English
Giuseppe Mistretta, the Italian Ambassador at Addis Ababa (the second on the left)
with Mebrahtu Meles, the State Minister of Industry of Ethiopia
I
n Ethiopia, the entire Wheat Sector has undergone a major transformation to provide the population with more and better food products. At the same time, exciting business opportunities are emerging both in
field production and agro-processing.
January/March 2015
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«The government has been making efforts to develop agriculture and agroprocessing, which is the key to the economic and social development of the
country», Mr. Mebrahtu Meles, Minister of Industry said, opening the International Conference “Wheat, Flour
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From right: Claudio Vercellone (Ceo of Avenue media), Vito Bellomo,
Chef (Gusto Restaurant in Addis Ababa) and Matteo Pianca
(Head of the Trade Office of the Italian Embassy in Addis Ababa)
& Pasta” in Addis Ababa, December
6. The Conference - jointly organized
by the Embassy of Italy in Addis Ababa, the Ethio-Italian Cooperation, the
Overseas Agronomic Institute (IAO),
«More than
500 participants
at the Event»
Oromia Regional State and the congress company Avenue media - was followed by a Pasta Event, December 7.
The Event
In the wake of the successful agronomic project (“Filiere agricole in Oromia” that brought the durum wheat
production from 500 tons in 2012 to
15,000 today), the Pasta Event lasted
two days. On the first day, “Wheat,
The specialized exhibition area of the event
28
Fabio Melloni, Head of the Italian
Development Cooperation Office
in Addis Ababa
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Flour & Pasta”, focused on conferences
and exhibitions, allowed the operators
to highlight the commercial aspect of
the wheat-pasta supply chain; whereas
on the second day “Pasta Event” celebrated the Queen of the Italian cuisine
with tastings and show cooking.
«We wanted to gather together Ethiopian farmers and industries, as well
as Italian manufacturers of machineries and technologies related to this sector», explains the Italian Ambassador
in Addis Ababa, Giuseppe Mistretta.
«This has been a sort of “pilot exhibition”
- explains the Ambassador - and it can be
a significant example and model of interaction between cooperation and development, promotion of the local private sector, development of trade agreements between Ethiopian and Italian companies
and public-private partnership».
The Ambassador adds: «Since we have
had significant confirmations so far,
this event will probably be repeated
and extended over the next years».
«Today bilateral relations between Italy and Ethiopia are excellent - underlines
Matteo Pianca, head of the Trade Office
at the Italian Embassy in Addis Ababa
- The Pasta Event was so successful that
our Embassy is encouraged to pursue its
mission by promoting contacts, supporting people, creating jobs and spreading
January/March 2015
TRENDS
technologies and know-how». In this perspective, «we will totally support and promote a second edition of this event that
will have the same objective». The event
was organized thanks to hard teamwork
between Italy and Ethiopia where the organization was supported by local and
Italian representatives.
«The message that we have tried to
convey - explains Claudio Vercellone,
Ceo of Avenue media - is that Italy can bring its culture to benefit the
constant, strong and progressive agroindustrial and economic growth of another country. A growth that is based
on the quality of crops, excellent processing methods and machines as well
as a diet that is able to offer health and
wellbeing to those citizens who want
and can enjoy it».
«We wanted to create an event with
local representatives for local people
- explains Vercellone - Therefore this
event respects their culture and their
Pasta producers meet buyers
economy. We have proposed possible solutions, as bearers of experience,
technologies and machineries. And we
made way for the local main actors».
The International Conference
Lessons, panel discussions, pasta
cooking and tasting were part of the twoday event, which brought together more
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di Giuseppe Pellicola & Figli
Sede legale e stabilimento:S.P. per Ruvo di Puglia , km 1,300
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www.molitecnicasud.com - [email protected]
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than 500 participants (International
experts, National and Regional authorities, millers, farmers, associations, chefs,
journalists and stakeholders).
Several Ethiopians high level authorities and the Italian diplomatic authorities in Ethiopia attended the International Conference “Wheat, Flour
& Pasta”. Next to Mebrahtu Meles State Minister of Industry (Ethiopia)
and Giuseppe Mistretta (Ambassador
of Italy) were also Abduleziz Mohammed - Vice president of Oromia Region, Fabio Melloni - Head of Italian Development Cooperation Office in Ethiopia (Italy), Taha Hassen
- President of Ethiopian Millers’ Association (Ethiopia) - EMA, Tiberio Chiari - Technical Director IAO (Italy), Alessia Bianchi - Director of
the Italian Trade Agency Office in Addis Ababa, Giulio Mulas, - Director
of the Italian Trade Agency Office in
Johannesburg, and Fabio Melloni - General Directorate for Development Cooperation.
Durum wheat booming
According to the Ethio-Italian Cooperation, new partnership models among public and
private actors are ready for use as
they have been developed by the
Durum Wheat Value Chain Project in Oromia (Avcpo), which has
been jointly financed by Ethiopian and Italian Governments. The
project was successful in the implementation of durum wheat.
Tiberio Chiari - Italian Coordinator
In Bale Zone, durum wheat production jumped from about 500 of “Agricultural Value Chains Project in Oromia
(Avcpo)” - Technical Director IAO - Italy
tons in 2012 to 15,000 tons as forecasted harvest in January-February
2015 (about 30-fold increase in a three- t smallholders’ cooperatives/Unions
year period). The quality search as a priare able to meet the demand of
ority focus on action has proved that:
huge stocks of high-quality durum
Pasta Event: chefs of Italian prestigious restaurants of the capital city have prepared
Fettuccine and filled pasta with the help of Ethiopian cooks
30
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January/March 2015
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wheat coming from national pasta
industries;
t industries are willing to recognize a
premium price to cooperatives/Unions according to quality parameters
of produce.
Indeed, durum wheat has been cultivated in Ethiopia for thousands of years, although it has gradually been replaced by
bread wheat. However, demand for pasta
has shown a steady growth, so that local
industries have decided to import wheat.
«The high demand with the pasta factories, estimated between 30,000 to
50,000 kilos, will be fulfilled by local production, particularly with Bale
Zone» said Mr. Taha Hassen, president of Ethiopian Millers’ Associations, during the Conference.
In the country, pasta factories are not
more than ten in number. The promising durum wheat cultivation is expected
Abeba Tesfaye - Ethiopian Millers’Association
to satisfy the demand of these factories.
However, according to the experts, the
growing popularity of pasta in Ethiopia
is expected to force the country to build
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more firms so as to restart the demand
for quality durum wheat.
Delia Maria Sebelin
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Technical consultancy for mill industry
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C.da Torre La Macchia-70022 Altamura (BA)
Tel:.+39.080.3101016 - Fax+39.080.3146832
www.molitecnicasud.com - [email protected]
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The Italian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Giuseppe Mistretta
(second from the left) with the Minister of Industry, Mebrahtu Meles
Alessia Bianchi - Director of the Italian Trade Agency
Office in Addis Ababa and Giulio Mulas, - Director of the
Italian Trade Agency Office in Johannesburg
PHOTO FE ATURE
International Conference
Local entrepreneurs arriving at the International Conference
«Wheat, Flour & Pasta»
and Pasta Event
Italian and Ethiopian companies took part at the Event, such as Anselmo, Consorzio Quattro, Oc
Italian and Ethiopian chefs cooked together: a multiethnic team prepared spaghetti, fettuccini and lasa
Articles published by local and worldwide newspapers and magazines
Alem Hadera Abay - Global
Alliance for Improved Nutrition
Enrica Gentile - Areté
Mebrahtu Meles - State Minister
of Industry (Ethiopia)
Dereje Biruk, Agricultural
Transformation Agency
A lot of journalists followed the Event
Millers, farmers, entrepreneurs, agronomists,
pasta makers, buyers took part to the Event
Maria Grazia D’Egidio, Cereal
Quality Research Unit, CRA-QCE
To the left, Claudio Vercellone - Ceo Avenue media
with Jean Claude Mbede Fouda - Communications Officer Italian Development Cooperation Office in Ethiopia - Italy
tro, Ocrim, Perten Instruments and Tecalit
To the left, Tiberio Chiari - Technical Director IAO - (Italy)
and Maurizio Monti - wheat technician
and lasagna to over 500 people who took part to the Pasta Event
SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
Platinum sponsors
Premium sponsors
Supporter
Gold sponsors
www.ethiopianvaluechain.org