CAIRO, December 12. /TASS/. Russian producers brought buckwheat, curd snacks (Russian dessert) and fresh-frozen Karelian berries, among other products, to the Food Africa international food and beverage exhibition.

According to a TASS correspondent, the Made in Russia exposition was one of the largest in terms of space this year.

A representative from the Russian Export Center, which is the organizer of the exposition, told the TASS correspondent that the companies that came to the exhibition have 170 meetings with potential partners planned. However, the manufacturers expect that unplanned fruitful contacts will also occur during the event.

"We came here to find our own distributor this year," Yulia Kokhanets, marketing manager of the Makfa company, told TASS. She brought a stand of hard and soft pasta products, as well as - in case of interest from the Egyptian side - buckwheat, which is not yet available on the Arab Republic's market. "Since there is a trend towards healthy eating, buckwheat would be a good alternative to rice, which is widely consumed in Egypt. Of course, they are not familiar with it here, but the culture of consumption can be developed with the help of advertising," believes the company representative.

A wide assortment of curd snacks, a delicacy still unfamiliar to Egyptian consumers, was brought by dairy company Svitlogorie. Andrey Mashkunov, head of the company's foreign economic activity department, expressed hope that they will be able to enter the Egyptian market with this product. "We thought that more will be adapted, which is not present here. You can't surprise anyone with milk. We decided to take a product that is tasty, of high quality and accessible to people," Mashkunov said, talking about how the company chose what to present at the exhibition. Apart from curd snacks, the manufacturer brought hard cheese and ice cream.

Russia at Food Africa

The Made in Russia exposition occupies about 300 square meters, with 19 Russian producers showing off their products at stands decorated in the same style. They brought grain crops, meat and dairy products, fresh-frozen Karelian berries, candy, high-quality canned fish and other food products. In addition, several manufacturers present equipment and services for the food industry at Food Africa.

Food Africa, the largest food and beverage exhibition on the African continent, which is being held in Egypt for the eighth time, opened on Tuesday at the International Exhibition Center in Cairo and will run until December 14. More than 700 manufacturing companies from 30 countries are taking part. Dozens of companies from Egypt have set up booths with their products to use the exhibition as a negotiation and contracting platform with prospective partners. The event is attended by representatives of the local restaurant business and large chain stores who are open to cooperation.