CIIE offers wider market access to Ethiopia’s top agricultural export commodities: Exporters

Addis Ababa, October. 26 (FBC) – Ethiopia’s top agricultural export commodities are boosted by the upcoming 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) to penetrate wider market access, an Ethiopian agricultural products exporter has said.

Sisay Asmare, general manager of RIB Industrial and Commercial Private Limited Company (PLC), who is also the president of Ethiopian Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices Processors-Exporters Association (EPOSPEA), said the CIIE serves as an efficient platform to meet and forge a business partnership with potential Chinese customers.

Recalling two-time successful participation at the CIIE before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, Sisay said the platform serves as a hotspot avenue for Ethiopian and other foreign exporters to explore and penetrate the vast Chinese market.

Sisay was quoted by Xinhua, saying; “We have participated at the CIIE two times, in 2018 and 2019, but since then due to the coronavirus pandemic, we did not participate. For this year, we are also invited to attend.”

“We are happy because it was a very big event. The Chinese also gave us, for Ethiopia, one pavilion,” he said, adding that the Ethiopian pavilion at the CIIE had “attracted so many excited visitors.”

He said the previous CIIE editions have successfully injected important impetus in terms of creating awareness about Ethiopia’s major export commodities.

Sisay said the CIIE is a conducive platform to expedite demand and accessibility of Ethiopia’s export-oriented agricultural commodities to the wider Chinese and global market.

Sesame, along with coffee, is one of Ethiopia’s top export commodities, as the country’s export sector is largely dominated by the export of agricultural products.

Courtesy of the booming Sino-Ethiopia trade and investment cooperation coupled with important platforms such as the CIIE, Ethiopia’s overall export to China has registered steady growth in recent years as China remains Ethiopia’s biggest trading partner.

According to Xinhua, the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled for Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai. The event provides a platform for companies from around the world to display their products, promote their brands, and find more business partners in the world’s second-largest economy.