June 11 – In Taiwan, olive oil is only Italian. With 58% of the total market share, Italian extra virgin olive oil is the symbol of the Mediterranean diet in Taiwan. And after the local counterfeit products discovered by the customs authorities, Taiwan asks Italy for more guarantees for the high-quality product. For these reasons, the ICE Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian firms (via its Taipei office) and Unaprol, the Italian olive oil consortium, organized a seminar to spread consumer awareness of the product. The initiative was attended by over 90 journalists, buyers, restaurateurs and local opinion makers. The meeting opened with a speech by Mario Palma, of the Italian representation in Taipei. Chiara Petrò, director of the local ICE office, continued with a statement on “the interchange with agribusiness Italy, which shows that our country holds, in the olive oil market, a share of 58% and the imports from Italy have grown by 45% in 2013 over 2012.” “Our goal – explained Massimo Gargano, chairman of Unaprol – is to increase the market share of Italian olive oil of the highest quality to meet the local demand.” Gargano then announced that Unaprol, working with the Mipaaf and the European Union, is currently carrying out promotion activities in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, the United States, Canada and Italy. These will soon take place in countries defined as “new consumers,” such as Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea.
