Some ten Tunisian companies from the agri-food sector took part in the 32nd International Autumn Food and Drink Exhibition "WorldFood Moscow, organized on September 19-22 at Crocus Expo in Moscow.

Some one thousand exhibitors from 39 countries and more than 20,000 trade visitors attended the event, which is positioned as the major event dedicated to the agri-food sector in Russia, the Export Promotion Centre (CEPEX) said in a press release yesterday, Thursday.

The show provided a platform for networking between producers and all those involved in the import and distribution sector.

On the first day, the Tunisian pavilion was "very busy with visitors from Russia and other countries, who enjoyed the variety and quality of the Tunisian products on display," according to CEPEX.

Since the beginning of the year, Tunisian exports to Russia have been on an upward trend, rising by 61% in the first seven months to TND36.6 million compared with TND22.7 million in the first seven months of 2002.

Fresh and dried dates are in the lead in terms of products exported to Russia, with a share of 31% of total exports, followed by paper and colored cardboard with a 13.7% share, pleasure and sailing boats with a 9.5% share, and filtering devices, mineral oils and fuel with 8.1%.

According to Cepex, untapped export opportunities to Russia are estimated at around $62 million.