with a decisive way to get the country on the streets of the development. It stressed, inter alia, the minister for Rural Development Vangelis Apostolou, speaking at the meeting of the Standing Committee on Production and Trade of the House, with the theme “The agri-food sector of Greece in the international markets”.
In the meeting participated representatives of the World hellenic inter-Parliamentary association of Hellenism, which mr Apostle welcomed, saying that “the hellenism of the diaspora is not a symbolic concept, a vague value. It is a compact body that carries Greece, whatever that means, everywhere in the world” – to add: “The Greeks of the diaspora based in Greece and we Greeks of Greece are counting on them.”
“Our country”, mentioned in another part of his speech, “itself is a brand name. And, in fact, the producers and entrepreneurs of the agri-food sector in Greece, showed amazing, remarkable reflexes, and they realized in time that the earth is kept stable values”. Mr. Apostle indicated that to increase the competitiveness of the agro-livestock sector, it is necessary to integrate the innovation, and the technological and the organisational form in the agricultural activities and the processing of agricultural products. Taking into account the reality of the Greek market and the inability of the business to invest singly in Research – Technology – Innovation for the production of products and services with high added value, mr. Apostle pointed out that there is a need to promote partnerships.
In accordance with what was said by the minister, for the promotion of products in international markets in 2016 was allocated 150 million. euros, and the figures show that the increase in exports is impressive, and in the year 2016, as from the total of 18 billion. of exports, 9 billion. euro, i.e. 50%, are products of the countryside.
“Battles, but we give and in the context of the agreements.E. with third countries, such as Canada and South Africa, where for the slice, for example, was envisaged after the transitional 5-year period, to be able to move cheese slice of south Africa and Canada, (or “Feta style” or “feta type”), while we managed to commit the European Commission for revision of the agreement before the expiry of the five (5) years, with a view to the complete abolition of the use of the term slice of the white cheese. So a complete ban on the use of the term ‘feta’,” said mr. Apostle.
Then, on the same wavelength, the deputy minister of Foreign affairs, Giorgos Katrougalos, developed the possibilities to further increase the extroversion of the Greek agricultural products and featured extremely important for the course of the export of Greek products the contribution of the products of the agricultural sector (agri-food, skins, and tobacco/cigarettes), which showed an increase of 9% in 2016, reaching 4.6 billion. euros in 2015 to 5 billion. euro. He noted that the products of the agricultural sector represent approximately 20% of the total Greek exports, compared with 18,6% in 2015.
Focusing in particular on the actions of the ministry of Foreign affairs, mr Katrougalos noted that in the context of diplomatic actions, through economic diplomacy, support the internationalization, entrepreneurship and the development of the activities of Greek businesses in foreign markets. Stated that through the central service of the embassies and especially the office for economic and commercial affairs, ministry of Foreign affairs organises and supports a large set of actions extrovert orientation, either directly or indirectly, in support of Greek companies. But not limited to, the deputy Foreign minister referred to the joint interministerial committees, business missions, organising information operators for the foreign markets, the functioning of the internet portal of business information Agora, the monitoring working groups for extroversion.
In the same direction, pointed out that through the principles of external service, and in particular the network of 55 office of economic and commercial affairs, ministry of Foreign affairs exercises targeted economic and commercial diplomacy and supports effectively the extroversion of Greek businesses.
Finally, mr. Katrougalos, made special reference to the possibilities for the production of food religiously acceptable (halal and kosher) for the muslim countries and Israel, and in this context stressed that during the recent joint inter-ministerial committee of Greece-Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, there was an exhibition of food and beverage with the aim of highlighting the specific characteristics of the Greek production, noting that “this is something we aim to do in all the new markets that we want to open”.
The apostle: a spearhead for exports of the agri-food sector
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