Dubai Exports Briefs 3 Overseas Delegations on Dubai’s Competitive Advantages at Gulfood 2018

Dubai Exports, the export promotion agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), met with three international delegations – from New Zealand, Australia and Vietnam - at Gulfood 2018 as part of introducing international buyers and manufacturers to the advantages of Dubai as a source market as well as re-export hub to serve markets across the Middle East and North Africa.

The prime focus of the meetings was on reinforcing the Islamic economy advantage of Dubai and expanding co-operation on developing the halal industry through providing competitive Islamic finance options and promoting the hub-to-hub concept for halal exports and re-exports through the emirate.

The New Zealand delegation was headed by the country’s Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Jeremy Clarke-Watson, and included a number of local companies. The Australian delegation was led by The Honourable Niall Blair, Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Regional Water, and Minister for Trade and Industry for New South Wales while the Vietnamese delegation was headed by the Vietnamese Ambassador to the UAE. The Vietnamese delegation also included a number of food & beverage companies participating in Gulfood 2018, including the Hapro Corporation.

"Dubai Exports plays a pivotal role in supporting exporters locally and internationally. Meeting with international trade delegations is part of our efforts to address international companies and encourage them to establish their presence in Dubai for re-exporting to the Middle East and North Africa. It also allows us to review the capabilities available locally in Dubai and the UAE to enhance foreign trade,” said Engineer Saed Al Awadi, CEO of Dubai Exports.

Al Awadi added that the importance of Dubai’s Islamic economy capital initiative in promoting the halal sector was highlighted across the meetings with the three delegations.  “We are exploring new opportunities for halal across consumer markets worldwide. During our meeting with the three visiting delegations we discussed the growing global attention on halal and rising consumption as well as the possibilities of future export integration with importers interested to source from the UAE.”

“New Zealand has always seen the GCC as an important region, and now it’s our fastest growing market outside of China. Dubai Exports is a big part of this growth story as an important trade enabler for our exporters. This growth will continue as we see more delegations like this coming to the UAE in the lead up to Expo 2020 and beyond,” said the New Zealand Ambassador.

“New Zealand already has a great connection with the UAE. Our visit this week only enriches this relationship and provides more opportunities for our countries to come together around culture and commerce for the benefit of future generations,” said Ngahiwi Tomoana, leader of the New Zealand delegation.

Ahmed Al Omari, Director of Export Markets Development in Dubai Exports, added: "The visiting delegations showed interest in using Dubai as an export and re-export centre in view of its geographical location, modern logistics, and advanced technology used in the packaging and re-packaging of food and beverages. We also discussed Dubai’s focus on diversifying its export markets.”

Dubai Exports has a significant role in driving export competitiveness globally as well as economic growth in Dubai and the UAE, since local companies exporting overseas contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP), concluded Al Omari