Food farming sector brochure by internazionalizzazione

A glimps e at manufacturing in Apulia

FOOD FARMING AND NURSERY GARDENING

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PROMOTION INITIATIVES OF THE APULIA REGIONAL GOVERNMENT Puglia Sviluppo S.p.A. SPRINT Apulia REGIONAL DESK FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PROMOTION Via delle Dalie, angolo Via delle Petunie Zona Industriale – 70026 Modugno (BA) Italy Ph. +39 080 5498811 sprint@regione.puglia.it

A glimpse at manufacturing in Apulia

FOR INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TERRE FEDERICIANE QUALITY FOOD FARMING PRODUCTION DISTRICT Distretto Agroalimentare di Qualità Terre Federiciane Via Marinaccio 7 - 71121 Foggia Ph. 0881797301 - Fax. 0881722859 giuseppe.longo@cesan.eu

FOR INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE JONICO SALENTINO QUALITY FOOD FARMING PRODUCTION DISTRICT c/o Comune di Lecce - Piazzetta Panzera ex Anagrafe - 73100 Lecce Ph. 0832 682552/95 - Fax. 0832 305792 segreteriadajs@gmail.com

FOR INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF APULIA’S NURSERY GARDEN PRODUCTIVE BUSINESS CLUSTER c\o Nuovo Mercato Floricolo Comunale Via I. Balbo snc - s.p. Terlizzi - Mariotto 70038 - Terlizzi (BA) Ph. 080 3514111 - Fax. 080 3514929 distretto.florovivaistico.puglia@gmail.com

The food farming sector 8

Apulia, cradle of the Mediterranean diet

Apulia’s food farming industry

Apulia itself is a quality guarantee

Active businesses and main crops by province

The strength of the business clusters

The Jonico Salentino quality food farming district

The Terre Federiciane quality food farming district

Where research makes for better dining

D.A.Re - The food farming technological business cluster

Laboratory networks in the food farming sector

Oil – Apulian gold

Apulian grapes, a thousand-year old treasure

Apulia – Italy’s breadbasket

Tomatoes and burrata – tradition on a plate

Apulia in blossom

Apulia’s nursery gardening sector

Apulia’s nursery gardening business cluster

Investing in Apulia

Apulia’s strengths

The infrastructure in place

The entrepreneurial network and exports

Universities and research centers

Incentives for development

A glimpse at manufacturing in Apulia The food farming sector This short publication has been produced to enable the Apulia Region to present its food farming sector to those working in the same field elsewhere in Italy and abroad. The sector, one of the oldest and most traditional in Italy’s economy and in that of Apulia in particular, boasts farm land that covers 90% of the region’s 2 million hectares (7722 sq miles). This means that Apulia’s olives and oil, its wine and grapes, wheat, tomatoes, citrus fruits, cherries, artichokes, dairy products, pasta, preserves and baked products have been finding their way on to tables throughout Italy and the rest of the world for years and are now a key part of the made in Puglia brand. Being innovative in terms of products and methods has enabled the more than 84 thousand businesses in this sector – more than 25% of the total of those operating in Apulia - to take on the challenges of the global market. It has also allowed them to improve quality and highlight the characteristics of a truly authentic tradition, which has, in turn, made them even more competitive.

Regional policies have played a very important role in encouraging businesses to move in this direction. Thanks to ad hoc funding initiatives, businesses wanting to invest in Apulia today can avail themselves of incentive packages tailored to companies of any size, whether a major industry or a micro-concern. The Apulia region has also made a significant contribution to increasing the number of businesses from this sector on foreign markets by introducing numerous initiatives aimed at promoting the excellencies that result from food farming. With this in mind, the sector’s export figures come as no surprise: 1.38 billion Euros in 2013 – an increase of 3.5% on the previous year. Apulia’s food farming sector continues to prove itself as a key element in the region’s development and in promoting its image throughout the world as a land where tradition and innovation combine to produce unique and inimitable flavours.

Cereals, grapes and olives represent that three foods that together make the Mediterranean diet so unique and the presence of all three in Apulia can be traced back to Neolithic times. Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic geographical position and particular climate have enabled the region to stand as a symbol of the Mediterranean diet and a prime player in the production and processing of agricultural products.

APULIA, The Mediterranean diet, universally recognised as one of the healthiest, has become a popular lifestyle choice throughout the world. Suitable for all ages, this diet is not only an essential part of healthy living; it is also a bona fide historical and cultural heritage. This way of eating is, in truth, a tale of the civilisations that developed throughout the Mediterranean basin, which is why in 2010, UNESCO recognised it as an intangible cultural heritage.

CRADLE OF THE

MEDITERRANEAN

DIET

The production and processing of durum wheat are just two of the excellences of Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food farming sector.

Grapes have been grown in Apulia for more than 2000 years.

APULIA’S

FOOD FARMING

As Italy’s leading producer of extra virgin olive oil, wine and durum wheat, Apulia can also claim first place in the country’s food farming sector generally. The region also produces some 68% of Italy’s table grapes, 35% of its tomatoes, almonds and olives, 31% of its artichokes and 30% of its cherries. As production continues to grow in terms of quality as well as quantity, it has fostered the development of a flourishing processing industry.

Apulia is not just a land where food is produced and processed, it is also one that is ripe for research and innovation in the food farming sector as can be seen in the leading role that the region’s businesses and universities are playing in both national and international projects. The significant effort made by the regional government to back young entrepreneurs, the large number of businesses headed up by women and the development of a flourishing organic farming sector are the key elements in a dynamic sector that continues to grow.

INDUSTRY The food farming and nursery gardening sector in numbers Number of businesses: Number of workers: Exports:

84,160 *

213,400 **

1.38 billion Euros (+3.5% on 2012) **

* source: CCIAA (Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts) Bari, 2013 ** Source: ICE (Italian Inst. For Foreign Trade), 2013 14

Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first pasta factories were built around 1700 next to existing flour mills.

APULIA

ITSELF IS A

That is why the “prodotti di qualità Puglia” brand was born; a Community collective certificate of quality with territorial indication. Registered in 2012, this brand was created and promoted by the regional government as a tool that makes the immediate identification of Apulian food products possible, enhances their value and availability, guarantees the quality of the production process and also safeguards consumers.

QUALITY GUARANTEE THE “Prodotti di Qualità Puglia” INCLUDE

The success of Apulia’s food farming sector is based on a model for growth that aims to combine competitiveness with economic and environmental sustainability and to safeguard productive diversification. Bio-diversity is, in fact, something that the regional government plans to protect by increasing the commercial value of typical products, introducing mechanisms that support businesses in the sector and establishing a regional umbrella brand that protects the quality of Apulian products.

DOCG WINES (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin)

6 IGT WINES (Typical Geographical Indication) 10 DOP products (Protected Denomination of Origin) 5 IGP products (Protected Geographical Indication) 233 PAT products (Traditional Food Products)

recognised as such by the Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies in 2014 19

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The fertile land and specialized workforce contribute to the development of a flourishing food farming industry in Apulia.

These involve networks of businesses linked to each other by production chain and type of activity acting in collaboration with universities, research centres, institutes and associations to enhance the value of local products and their promotion on national and international markets.

THE

STRENGTH The regional government believes that in economic terms, union is strength, and it backs that vision by providing productive industries with know-how and funding. In the case of the food farming and nursery gardening sectors, this led to the establishment of three Productive Business Clusters.

OF THE

BUSINESS CLUSTERS 25

40 businesses 3 universities and research centres 11 trade union associations

JONICO SALENTINO QUALITY

The Jonico Salentino Quality Food Farming Production District was established with a view to defining new organizational models for businesses in the food farming sector and create spin-off productive activities in the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto. To achieve this, the cluster works on the one hand, towards the diversification and enhancement of products, and on the other, to put strategic marketing operations in place that will help the sector and broaden its market.

local institutes, public associations and chambers of commerce

7 private associations, foundations and consortia

FOOD FARMING PRODUCTION DISTRICT Source: The Jonico Salentino Quality Food Farming Production District, 2014

767 Businesses 15 universities and research centres 3 trade unions

TERRE FEDERICIANE QUALITY

The Terre Federicane Quality Food Farming Production District covers the provinces of Bari and Foggia. Included amongst the main objectives behind the establishment of the district is the innovation of productive structures, improving technological and management processes and infrastructure as well as the conditions under which businesses in the area are able to access credit.

45 trade associations 28 local institutes 10 private associations and consortia

FOOD FARMING PRODUCTION DISTRICT

Source: The Terre Federicane Quality Food Farming Production District, 2014 28

A factory producing pasta from durum wheat flour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rutigliano (Province of Bari).

The educational system is also a significant factor in the sector’s growth: in addition to the region’s universities, other flagship centres include Apulia’s Higher Technical Institute for Food Farming, the Institute for Mediterranean Agriculture in Bari (IAMB) and the Italian campus of CIHEAMS, the Intl. Centre for Higher Studies in Mediterranean Agriculture.

WHERE RESEARCH Research and innovation have been the main ingredients in Apulia’s food industry since it began. Today, the neverending need to innovate expressed by the food farming sector remains unchanged and the regional government’s response was to encourage both the establishment of a Technological Business Cluster and a network mindset amongst the many laboratories and research centres based in Apulia. They provide businesses with services and are involved in the field of applied research and the exchange of technology designed to increase competitiveness and, at the same time, enhance the value of Apulia’s scientific contribution from a market perspective.

MAKES FOR BETTER

DINING

The D.A.Re’s current projects Project 7FP “Quafety” This is an international project involving 7 countries and is co-finance by the EU. Its goal is to improve the food safety aspects of fresh, RTE (ready to eat) food.

D.A.Re, D.A.Re acts as the interface between Apulia’s research network and its food farming sector thanks to the services that support innovation that it provides the businesses and districts involved across the region. Amongst the main services offered, it sets up negotiations concerning Intellectual Property Licensing, the search for industrial partners interested in scaling up innovation, contracts that make the most of research from the moment a project is first put forward (contract research negotiation), supporting spin-off activities resulting from research and assistance in fund raising (venture and seed capital), as well as the provision of practical services to bodies, institutes and businesses interested in promoting innovative methods and processes.

The S.Te.P.Mo.L. Project Conceived as a way to safeguard Apulia’s biodiversity heritage – characterized by an age-old tradition of rearing goats and sheep – this project envisions the development of technological methods for the production of mozzarella made from those two animals. It is also involved in meeting the increasing demand for dairy products by people with intolerance to cow’s milk.

THE FOOD FARMING TECHNOLOGICAL BUSINESS CLUSTER 102 businesses 12 research centres and universities 17

public and local bodies, trade union and sector associations

2 private associations and foundations Source: D.A.Re, June 2014

The S.Te.P.Mo.L. project is just one of the ways Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s researchers are working to meet the needs of an ever-increasing number of people with food intolerances.

AFF - Apulian Food Fingerprint This network works towards increasing the value of Apulian food products by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and electronic noses. Concerned with the cultivation of olives, fruit and vegetables, grapes and wine production.

LABORATORY NETWORKS Apulia’s laboratory networks truly act as “hubs” across the territory making their high-levels of technological know-how available to businesses. They comprise Apulia’s best universities and research centres and their aim is to generate the production of a diverse range of specialist items across the entire region as well as to meet any specific needs of a social nature. There are four laboratory networks in the food farming sector: AFF, LAIFF, SELGE and TEGUVA.

LAIFF A network devoted to innovation in the field of functional food science. Concerned with dairy products, cereals and the cultivation of olives, fruit and vegetables, grapes and wine production.

IN THE

FOOD FARMING SECTOR

SELGE A network dedicated to the selection, characterization and preservation of germplasm (genetic material of germ cells) and preventing the diffusion of harmful organisms that could impact the economy and must be quarantined. Concerned with the entire food farming and nursery garden sector as well as biotechnologies. TEGUVA This network concentrates on genomic (genetic content) technologies that will help create new varieties of “apirena” (seedless) table-grapes with enhanced nutraceutical properties. Concerned with the cultivation of grapes and wine production. Source: ARTI – the Regional Agency for Technology and InnovatioN, 2014

Businesses in Apulia are front runners when it comes to fostering innovation in the food farming sector.

OILThere were olives growing in Apulia in 5000 BC, and they have always been an important economic resource throughout the region. Apulia produces more extra virgin olive oil than any other region in Italy – some 35% of the national total – which in 2013 equalled 180,947 metric tons (total calculated by ISMEA – Inst. For services to the food farming market – on data from ISTAT – Nat. Inst. For Statistics). The more than 300,000 hundred-year old olive trees growing in Apulia are a heritage like no other in the world. The region is characterized by the many different native varieties of olives present, the most important of which include: the Coratina, Ogliarola Barese, Cima di Bitonto, Cima di Mola, Peranzana, Ogliarola Garganica, Ogliarola Salentina, Leccino, Rotondella, Oliva da Mensa La Bella della Daunia, Santa Caterina, Sant’Agostino and the Termite di Bitetto.

Besides the high quality of Apulia’s olive oil, its success also derives from focussed policies pursued by both the regional government and producers aimed at safeguarding the typical characteristics and qualities of the product. Innovation, technology, rigorous controls and traceability along the entire chain are just a few of the elements that have allowed Apulian olive oil to conquer international markets. The standards achieved have also made it possible for 5 DOP certificates of quality to be awarded to the olive oils labelled: Terre di Bari DOP, Dauno Dop, Collina di Brindisi DOP, Terre Tarantine DOP and Terra d’Otranto.

APULIAN GOLD 43

Olives in the first stage of the oil-making process in an oil mill in Monopoli (Province of Bari).

The high quality of Apulian olive oil is borne out by the 5 DOP certificates awarded.

APULIA’S GRAPES, Apulia has been leading the way in terms of grape production since Roman times and today it is still one of the main players on the international wine and table-grape markets. The 10.6 million hectolitres of wine produced in 2013 means it has been the largest wine producing area in Italy since then (source AGEA Agy for Agricultural Funding) an achievement due in part to the investment made by major Italian wine brands who have been buying more land. Apulian wine is also enjoying increasing success abroad and in particular in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, the United Kingdom and even in China and Brazil. A growing number of Apulian businesses are investing in the innovation of production methods and the internationalization of a product on the rise, not just in terms of quantity, but also in quality. 48

The sector’s numbers confirm the progress it has made, with 6 wines receiving IGT quality certification. 4 DOCG and 29 DOC. And – Apulia is not only the leading wine maker, it can also lay claim to producing the greatest number of table-grapes both in Italy and abroad. Apulia’s contribution of 68% to the national total has made Italy the world’s leading producer.

A THOUSAND-YEAR OLD

TREASURE

6 IGT, 4 DOCG and 29 DOC wines prove the success of Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wine producers.

Grapes being pressed in a Martina Franca winery (Province of Taranto).

APULIA, Apulia is not only Italy’s leading producer of durum wheat; it is a frontrunner in cereals generally. Having produced more than 1 million metric tons of durum wheat in 2013 in fields that cover more than a quarter of the total agricultural area, Apulia is undoubtedly the nation’s breadbasket. The wheat processing industry is characterized by the variety of businesses that operate within it; alongside the large concerns mostly involved in making pasta, there are also many small companies, such as local bakers, who continue to produce all Apulia’s traditional types of bread with the same high quality as always. Bread from Altamura, taralline and friselle (very vaguely like bagels) made from both barley and wheat flour, and orecchiette and maritate (pasta) are just a few of the products that feature in the cereal industry and have become Apulia’s gastronomic ambassadors to the world. 54

The production areas and businesses involved in the cereals sector are concentrated in the northern part of the region, in the provinces of Foggia and Bari. The sector is also characterized by the major investment made in technological innovation –ideas that are now part of the history of the food industry were born here. It was an Apulian pasta-maker who came up with the idea of keeping fresh pasta in a vacuumpacked bag – and revolutionised the sector in the process.

ITALY’S

BREADBASKET

Companies large and small all contribute to Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wheat processing industry.

Apulian baked products promote the made in Puglia brand throughout the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Laterza (Province of Taranto).

Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dairy products are also achieving ever-greater success abroad as can be seen in the export figures which have more than doubled over the last 10 years. The key to this important achievement is the quality of the products, some of which, such as canestrato and caciocavallo silano cheeses and ricotta made from buffalo milk, have been awarded DOP quality certification. Fresh cheeses made locally have enjoyed particular success, with burrata, mozzarella, manteca and giuncata heading up the regional gastronomic leader board.

TOMATOES AND BURRATA, TRADITION Tomatoes are an essential ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine and the best soil for growing them can be found in Apulia. As a result, a flourishing tomato processing industry has sprung up, particularly in the province of Foggia, which is also home to the largest tomato processing factory in Europe, second largest in the world. The strong, well-structured production chain associated with this fruit has attracted significant overseas investment in recent years, including that from a major multi-national Japanese business.

ON A PLATE

Apulian tomatoes are the basis of an important industrial reality that starts from the moment they are picked - Foggia.

Fresh locally produced cheeses are at the top of Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gastronomic leader board.

APULIA IN Nursery gardening is one of Apulia’s traditional production sectors that has grown in recent years thanks to the improved quality achieved, innovation and an ever-increasing interest in foreign markets. In Apulia, the companies involved in nursery gardening flowers tend to be small and are more-or-less equally divided between those dedicated to nursery plants, and those growing flowers and ornamental plants. Although fewer in number, those specialized in pot plants are also important. Roses, gerberas, lilies, chrysanthemums, anthuriums, carnations, lisianthus, alstroemerias, freesias, tulips, arum lilies, sunflowers, wallflowers, asters and turmeric are just some of those grown locally. The cultivation of leafy plants and green and flowering fronds– including asparagus ferns, monastera, aralia, gypsophilia and limonium - is also carried out, particularly in certain parts of the province of Bari and in the Salento district.

Terlizzi, in the province of Bari is home to the Centro Servizi per la Commercializzazione e l’Assistenza Tecnica alla Floricoltura. Covering some 32,000 square meters, it is just one of the region’s vibrant service centres and it lies at the heart of a productive system that involves the entire province and includes more than 500 businesses scattered throughout the municipalities of Molfetta, Ruvo, Bisceglie and Giovinnazzo. The Salento district’s productive system revolves around Traviano’s vast flower market that occupies some 2,550 square meters and is under mixed public-private management. Leverano is another important production network involving some 400 operators in the district as well as Alliste, Racale, Mellissano, Ugento, Nardò, Maglie and Porto Cesario.

BLOSSOM 67

Nursery gardening is one of Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional productive sectors.

THE

NURSERY

The nursery gardening sector is one of the driving forces in Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agricultural industry in terms of the diversity of what is cultivated and how as well as the technological equipment in use. Some of its strong points have given the sector national prominence - the improved quality and quantity of what is produced, the opportunity for year-round cultivation, highly capable businessmen and a propensity for technological innovation. These unique characteristics, combined with the regional governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the sector have been key to its successful expansion on overseas markets. The development of the nursery gardening sector in Apulia is also tightly linked to technological innovation, which not only works on increasing product quality, but on decreasing environmental impact as well. 70

One example is hydroponics, a type of hydroculture that is on the rise across the region. It is a method of growing plants that makes it possible to control their quality, health and hygiene throughout the year along with environmental sustainability. This sector is also finding new ways to expand by linking up with other related fields such as environmentally friendly tourism and the use of plants in urban requalification, particularly with regard to policies on fighting air pollution.

GARDENING

SECTOR

Gerberas are a typical example of Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nursery gardening sector â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Terlizzi (province of Bari).

228 businesses 4 universities and research centres 11 trade union associations 22

other concerns including local bodies, employer funded and sectorial associations (see source)

APULIA’S

NURSERY GARDENING The cluster was established with a view to supporting regional initiatives and development programmes aimed at improving competitiveness, internationalization and the creation of new businesses in the sector. Amongst the cluster’s specific objectives are the implementation of new production techniques and methods and the establishment of businesses involved in developing the technology and varietals that will make yearround cultivation in the region possible.

BUSINESS CLUSTER

Source: Apulia’s Nursery Gardening Business Cluster, 2014 74

Apulian pot plants can be found in flower markets throughout Italy.

Apulia is one of Southern Italy’s most dynamic regions. The development model to promote new synergies between businesses and research to improve infrastructure and the availability of a qualified workforce has proved to be a winning strategy for all manufacturing sectors.

The regional government ensures high standards in the management of international relations, as well as support for new foreign operations arriving in the territory.

INVESTING IN APULIA The great strength of the “Apulian model” is the guarantee of clear guidelines for economic operators, including the creation of incentive packages for all types of Apulian businesses that are dynamic, proactive leaders in their respective sectors, operating at an international level, open to experimentation, but also custodians of a heritage of rich artisanal traditions.

Apulia’s strategic geographic position, its commitment to environmental sustainability, an avant-garde social welfare system, and the wealth of its social capital are also factors that make Apulia a region of beauty and also of interest, both for investment and as a place to live.

A regional government attentive to the needs of companies that invest in local economic development. A positive business climate with a dynamic entrepreneurial system.

APULIA’S An excellent network of research centers and universities.

A high quality of life the “Apulian lifestyle”. 80

A strategic geographic position with optimal infrastructure systems.

A highly qualified labor force operating in an effective labor market.

STRENGTHS An ATTRACTIVE system of incentives, aimed both at new and foreign investment and at promoting the entrepreneurial development of the existing regional productive system.

A tomato processing factory in Foggia.

THE

INFRASTRUCTURE

INPLACE 12.000 km OF ROADS

entrepreneurial NETWORK AND

Exports

332,000 ACTIVE BUSINESSES *

1.528 km OF RAILWAY LINES

1 COMPANY FOR EVERY 12 CITIZENS **

2 International and 2 domestic airports

1.156 THOUSAND PEOPLE IN WORK ***

9 portS - COMMERCIAL AND PASSENGER 1 Interport 98% of THE POPULATION HAS access

7.9 BILLION EURO IN EXPORTS *** 3.4

billion euro in exports for the first half of 2014 **** ( over the same period in 2013)

+9.5%

to BROADband (Italian average: 96,5%) *

* SOURCE: Data from Invitalia, December 2013 84

* SOURCE: BARI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (CCIAA), 2013 ** SOURCES: BARI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND ISTAT, 2013 *** SOURCE: ISTAT, 2013 **** SOURCE: ISTAT, 2014 85

UNIVERSITIES ANDRESEARCH

CENTERS

4 Universities (3 public, 1 private) 1 Polytechnic institute 30 networks of public research laboratories 6

Technological clusters, recognized by the National Ministry for Research and Education

5 Public-private aggregations

Overall the Apulia Region Government has activated investments of over 3 billion euro in its own territories, which is triple the base funds accessed from the public sector, at 865 million euro. For the next program of ERDF funds the regional government will provide allocations to the productive system of more than 2.4 billion euro, representing 44.36% of the entire regional ERDF Programme budget.

INCENTIVES The strategic push towards synergies in the spheres of enterprise and production has created experimentation, innovation and transfers of knowledge and know-how. At the same time, the Regional Government has made available notable resources for the promotion and support of Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different economic sectors. The resources originate in large part from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and are directed towards firms of different sizes, present in the various productive sectors active in Apulia.

FOR

DEVELOPMENT

Regional programme contracts for large enterprises 292 million euro were awarded to manufacturing firms for the development of activities and projects that have reinforced the competitiveness, the draw of investment and the development of employment in the region.

Regional programme contractS for the tourism sector With allocations of 50 million euro, this program has favored further growth in sustained off-peak tourism.

AID for medium-sized companies and consortia of small-to-medium sized businesses (Integrated Incentives Packages) 201 million euro were allocated for activities in manufacturing, service industries, agro-food processing and commercialization, to create employment, social stability and economic dynamism.

AID for medium and consortia of small-TO-medium enterprises active in tourism SECTOR (Integrated Incentives Packages for the Tourism Sector) Applying a budget of 54 million euro, this intervention has further raised the standards of quality and classification in the Apulian tourism offer.

Aid packages for micro & small business (Title II) Total allocations of 107 million euro have strengthened the economic activities of small and very small businesses, particularly through improved access to credit.

Aid packages for small Businesses for touristic sector (Title II â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tourism) This instrument provided 25 million euro in aid to small and medium enterprises active in the tourism and lodging sectors, in management of tourist port and beach services, and to small and medium businesses that undertook new tourism and hotel initiatives, including the restorationrenovation of architecturally significant and historical properties.

Aid packages for innovative small businessES in early development This program, applying a total of 15 million euro, has stimulated the birth of micro and small enterprises based on productive applications of recent research results in the industrial sectors strategic to Apuliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional development (new materials, advanced logistics, advanced ICT manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental enhancement,

Aid packages for setting up or moving to SUBurban areas The Regional Government provided 10 million euro in support to business consortia and networks engaged in transferring their existing production systems away from cities with a population of over 40,000, towards extra-urban industrial areas and production parks.

public health, agro-food systems).

Call for proposals: Internationalization Aid packages for OPERATIVE innovative small businessES With a budget of 15 million euro, this initiative has supported the consolidation and growth of innovative micro and small enterprise active in the strategic industrial sectors identified by the Apulia Region Government (new materials, advanced logistics, advanced ICT manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental enhancement, public health, agro-food systems). The program supported investment projects proposed by businesses already in operation.

Integrated incentive packages for small businessES Over 49 million euro were allocated to the most dynamic of small Apulian businesses, for consolidation, innovative restructuring and expansion.

The current call represents the first regional incentive program for business internationalization. With a budget of 20 million euro, the objective is to increase the number of exporters operating in Apulia.

New enterprise initiatives (NIDI) This initiative of the Apulia Region Government is directed at women, youth, the unemployed, persons subject to layoff, contract staff and the self-employed, who wish to begin a new business. The program provides 54 million euro in forgivable loans and mortgage financing, with investment insurance of up to 80% or 100%.

Regional technological clusters for innovation With a budget of 30 million euro, this instrument strengthens activities in industrial research, experimental development and innovation in micro, small, medium and large business, in the thematic sectors identified under the SmartPuglia2020 Strategy: Sustainable manufacturing; Environmental and personal health; Inclusive, creative and digital communities.

A glimpse at manufacturing in Apulia

FOR INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF APULIA’S NURSERY GARDEN PRODUCTIVE BUSINESS CLUSTER © APULIA REGION Photography: Michele Stallo Translation by: PAROLE S.a.s. (Rome)

c\o Nuovo Mercato Floricolo Comunale Via I. Balbo snc - s.p. Terlizzi - Mariotto 70038 - Terlizzi (BA)

Printed January 2015 Stampa Sud S.p.A. - Mottola (TA)

Ph. 080 3514111 - Fax. 080 3514929 distretto.florovivaistico.puglia@gmail.com

EUROPEAN UNION

Project co-financed by the E.U., in accordance with the Operational Programme E.R.D.F. European Regional Development Fund Puglia 2007-2013 – Line 6.3., Action 6.3.2 “Initiatives in support of local business internationalisation”

APULIA REGION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EMPLOYMENT AND INNOVATION POLICY DEPARTMENT International Business Promotion Office Corso Sonnino 177 70121 Bari Italy Ph. +39 080 540 47 47 Fax +39 080 540 47 43 servizio.internazionalizzazione@regione.puglia.it www.internazionalizzazione.regione.puglia.it www.regione.puglia.it www.sistema.puglia.it