(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 8 - The General Commissariat for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka and F.AGR.I. - Filiera Agricola Italiana have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote food and wine excellence and rural tourism at the next Universal Exhibition.
    "The memorandum we signed today with F.AGR.I., which brings together 110 thousand Italian agricultural companies, is another important step towards the creation of a broad network of agreements and partnerships to support the internationalization of local production chains and the Italian agri-food and tourism system with the aim of attracting the public and investments", declared Ambassador Mario Vattani, Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka.
    "At the recent G7 Agriculture Summit, Italy and Japan signed a memorandum to strengthen cooperation in the rural economy sectors. Agri-food continues to be one of the main sectors of Italian exports to Japan, so much so that in 2023 it reached a value of over 1 billion euros, but the partnership with F.AGR.I.
    allows us to bring to Expo also significant experiences in the field of agrivoltaics and, with FAGRI TOURS, also tourism dedicated to the rural world".
    The National President of F.AGR.I. Gianfranco Grieci commented: "F.AGR.I. is proud to represent and promote at various institutional and commercial levels the food and wine excellences made in Italy in a highly anticipated global event such as Expo 2025 Osaka. We are convinced that our contribution to the event from the point of view of agri-food, tourism and agro-energy will once again position the Italian system at the center of the Mediterranean Basin as a point of reference for many peoples; our new trade fair format "Mediterranean Wine & Food and Travel" present at Expo 2025 Osaka will highlight for the first time the much sought-after combination of agriculture and rural tourism within the small villages of Italy; we are sure that the Japanese people will appreciate this new eco-sustainable holiday model.
    "We would therefore like to thank Ambassador Mario Vattani, Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, for wanting F.AGR.I. to participate in the Italian Pavilion".
    Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka from 13 April to 13 October 2025 with the theme "Designing future society for our lives".
    Italy will be presenting a Pavilion designed by architect Mario Cucinella with the slogan "Art regenerates life". (ANSA).