A delegation of 9 Iraqi buyers – representing ingredients and machinery companies for the local bakery, pastry, and ice cream sectors – took part in the 2026 edition of SIGEP WORLD - The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence, organized by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) and held in Rimini from 16th to 20th January 2026.

The delegation was led by the President of the Iraq Italy Business Council (IIBC) Salar Saleh, as part of the project "Scaling-up the business center services for innovation and technology in Iraq", funded by the Italian government and implemented by UNIDO ITPO Italy, who had also facilitated the dialogue between IIBC and IEG in the past months.

Thanks to around 100 B2B meetings with on-site exhibitors, the participation of the Iraqi delegation at SIGEP 2026 allowed to initiate commercial negotiations, with some exchanges already completed in the form of pilot orders and product tests, and numerous follow-up negotiations currently in the process of being finalized that could lead, in the coming months, to supply contracts, distribution agreements, and partnerships between companies.