The AF-L Artigiano in Fiera was held from 4^th to 12^th December, 2010 in Milan (Italy) and Council participated in this fair under MDA scheme. The Council has also participated earlier in this fair during 2006 and 2008. As a follow-up, Council has again included this activity in the Action Plan for the year 2010-11. Mr. R. K. Gupta, Offtg. Executive Director represented the Council during the fair. The company profiles of member-exporters participated in the fair are given at Annexure-I.

AF-L Artigiano in Fiera is one of the largest exhibitions exclusively designed for the art and crafts sector in Europe. The event provides a worldwide forum to display traditional craftsmanship, sells a broad range of quality homemade products, and share the stories, music and flavours. It helps the visitors to compare, learn and find out more about new solutions by contacting other exhibitors. It is also referred to as a systematic process to establish new business relations and gain exposure to international markets. AF - L'Artigiano in Fiera attracts the participation of exhibitors from different countries and it is an ideal place to advance and enhance the crafts business.

The structure and the services available for exhibitors and visitors were of a great international standard. Organizer made an impressive, widespread promotional and advertising campaign.

Ten day event was festive celebration of different textures, styles and lifestyles of one and all. The fair is not only the oldest but also leading in variety of latest fashionable products showcased. This fair was open to wholesalers, retailers, departmental stores and many other buyers who want to see the latest designs from the fashion industry.

General Information:

The Geographical area in and around Italy is beautiful and the people that inhabit this wonderful country are a timeless treasure. The official language is Italian. You should note that the use of dialects persists in this country. More and more people have some knowledge of English.

India and Italy enjoy friendly relations in many sectors. India has an Embassy in Rome, a General Consulate in Milan. Italy has an Embassy in New Delhi and two General Consulates (Mumbai and Calcutta.

Textile is the largest sector of India’s export to Italy. There is a large retail presence in Italy of the famous brands. In order to increase our exports to this market, Indian companies should try to establish their own brand names for higher realizations and customer loyalty. Participation in local trade fairs would also improve widening of business opportunities.

In an international business it also matters that regular participation is required to won confidence of the buyer and to make road into the market. On this assumption, it may be worth repeating Council’s participation next year as there still exists opportunities to improve our trade with Italy.  Moreover, greater consolidation and integration of the Indian textiles industry may be required to meet the competition in the Italian market.

Economy:

Italy is India’s fourth largest trading partner in the EU. The European countries ahead of Italy in this respect are UK, Germany and France. As a rapidly developing nation with a fast growing economy, India is in need of the latest industrial and technical expertise in textile sector to compete in the international market. According to GDP calculations, Italy was ranked as the seventh-largest economy in the world in 2006, behind the United States, Japan, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, and France, and the fourth-largest in Europe. Even though the Italian economy is basically agriculture, it has undergone such a process of industrialization as to be classified now among the few most industrialized countries of the world. This has provided a stimulus for the foreign trade, particularly with the member nations of EU.

Importing Environment:

There are no restrictions on imports into Italy, which are allowed on payment of customs duty prescribed by the Italian customs tariff. No quotas have been set up for the import of any commodities from India. Italy has a highly booming economy, wherein incomes are rising fast. The overall increase in demand is largely being met through increased imports, thereby creating greater prospects for foreign goods. About 40% of Italian imports are from other EC countries.

India’s Exports of woolens to Italy

The exports of wool and wool blended products to Italy for the past three years are given below:

OBSERVATIONS

·        Leading Companies from all over the world participated in this exhibition and there was very tough competition.

·        Another important aspect which needs to be taken into account is that the Chinese products are steadily losing its competence as most of their items no longer remain cheaper and the cost difference is almost reducing. The first rule to work with China is to make a huge stock due to their higher production capacity which has lost its relevance as no importer would be interested in making huge stocks in the present gloomy economic scenario. Our Indian exporters may avail this opportunity to capture the share of Chinese export basket.

·        As per the spot assessment, the event mainly attracted retailers. More than 300 visitors visited our member-participants and participants reported booking of orders about Rs. 10 Crore and many other inquiries.

·        Shawls and stoles attracted good number of visitors.

Company profiles of Participants

SOME OF MAJOR BUYERS VISITED OUR PARTICIPANTS