South African food products were in high demand in Russia but companies needed to strengthen marketing efforts to gain a greater foothold in the country, the Russia-South Africa Business Council head of food and agriculture said on Tuesday.
Mikhail Fatev was speaking on the sidelines of the annual World Food Moscow, an international exhibition which runs from Tuesday to Friday.
In a statement, the department of trade and industry said it was facilitating the participation of more than 30 South African companies in the exhibition.
“The Russian market is open for more South African food products. There is a big demand for the South African products here, but like anywhere in the world, the South African companies need to up their ante with regards to their marketing efforts," said Fatev.
"It will never be sufficient for them to come only for the World Food Moscow and expect to successfully penetrate the market or return home with loads of deals. They need to work on the market over time. They need to establish relations with the right people here and their rate of success will be increased."
Fatev said more than a third of Russia's fruit imports came from South Africa and there was room for growth
“Just a few days ago there was 100 percent shortage of grapes in Russia and the containers that brought the grapes here today were from South Africa. This shows that opportunities to supply the Russian market with South African food products are unlimited but it is for the South African companies to grab them and exploit them to their advantage."
The Russia-SA Business Council was established more than a decade ago in a bid to increase trade and investment between the two countries.
