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Agriculture minister Jim Paice (right) toured Foodex 2012 with Charles Reed, group md of William Reed Business Media, show organiser and publisher of FoodManufacture.co.uk and sister title Food Manufacture.
Delivering the key note address at Foodex, Paice praised the achievement of UK food and drink manufacturers in driving exports beyond the £12bn barrier last year.
However, there was still considerable scope for improvement. "We export more food to Belgium than we do to Brazil, India and China combined,” said Paice.
But small- to medium-sized enterprises operating in the food and drink sector would help to lead the wider UK economy out of recession, he added.
To watch FoodManufacture.co.uk’s exclusive video interview with Paice, click here.