SVG confirms participation in Expo Milan 2015 in Italy

Executive Director at Invest SVG Bernadette Ambrose-Black said last week that this country has confirmed its decision to participate in Expo Milan 2015 and as a result, Vincentian food products would be on display to the world.{{more}}

Participation at the universal event also offers St Vincent and the Grenadines the opportunity for open discussion with numerous countries on food issues.

Ambrose-Black added that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Consumer Affairs Senator Camillo Gonsalves has asked Invest SVG to coordinate the efforts on behalf of the local Government and as a result, Invest SVG would be working with the Ministry to oversee the execution and implementation of the trip.

Export development manager at Invest SVG Shanna Browne has been appointed as national coordinator and Invest SVG’s research assistant Angenella Young is the focal point for Expo Milan 2015.

Expo Milan takes place in Milan, Italy, from May 1 to October 31, 2015 and has as its main theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” Attendants to the Expo are expected to include over 140 countries, plus a significant number of international organizations.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is part of the ‘Sea and Food’ cluster of the expo and will have someone stationed in Milan for the duration of the Expo.

The theme, “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, embraces technology, innovation, culture, traditions and creativity and how they relate to food and diet.

There are also sub-themes: Science for Food Safety, Security and Quality, Innovation in the Agro Food Supply Chain, Technology for Agriculture and Biodiversity, Dietary Education, Solidarity and Cooperation on Food, Food for Better Lifestyles and Food in the World’s Cultures and Ethnic Groups.

The Expo will further develop themes introduced in earlier expos (e.g., water at Expo 2008 in Zaragoza) in the light of new global scenarios and emerging issues, with a principal focus on the right to healthy, secure and sufficient food for all the world’s inhabitants.

The World Expo as it is also called, will attempt to educate people about different ways of producing food and contribute to the food security debate both in industrialized countries and the developing world.

Twenty million visitors are expected to attend the event, which is also being called the 65th World’s Fair, or universal exposition. The first was held in Crystal Palace in London’s Hyde Park in 1851.

The 142 countries that are signed up to the event will present pavilions showcasing their national cuisine or techniques for producing food, either through traditional farming or technological innovations. A number of companies are supporting the event.

Ambrose-Black said that this country would have on display local agro processed products and other foods used here.

The participation contract of Expo Milano 2015 was signed on October 30, 2015, between the Office of the Organizer of Expo Milano 2015, represented by Giuseppe Sala and the seventh Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin La Rocque.

This signing took place at the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen, greater Georgetown, in the Republic of Guyana. The local Government and Invest SVG was represented by Shanna Browne.

Browne said that she is hoping that SVG can make some worthwhile connections at the Expo as it relates to exports.