Premier Matteo Renzi said Tuesday that Milan Expo 2015 is a great success despite the nay-sayers among his political opponents, especially the 5-Star Movement (M5S) led by Beppe Grillo.
"Think about where we were just six months ago: how many were betting on the failure of Expo," Renzi wrote in a column in newpaper L'Unita.
He mocked Grillo, whose movement had called for the event to be scrapped after it was hit by a major corruption scandal one year ago.
"They bet on the failure of Italy as always," he wrote.
"But we won, Italy won".
Renzi added the six-month Expo, which continues until the end of October, has been a boost for exporters in the food industries.
Statistics from Federalimentare suggest that exports of agribusiness products have jumped, Renzi said.
"The world is hungry for Italy," he said.
"For me, Expo...is going well," he said.
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