Continued economic expansion and increasing awareness of the benefits of horticultural landscaping, is driving growing demand for garden, landscaping and outdoor living products across the region.
Recent estimates indicate that the market for outdoor living products such as swimming pools, horticultural machinery and other related products and equipment have shown a marked increase across the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.
“Leading manufacturers, suppliers, importers and consumers have been ex-pressing great interest in gardening, landscaping and horticultural products,” said Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer of Epoc Messe Frankfurt GmbH, organisers of Garden+Landscaping Middle East, the only trade event for the garden, landscaping and outdoor living industry in the MENA region.
“Emerging markets such as Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Central Asian and South Asian countries are playing an increasing part in driving demand,” Pauwels added.
Being the preferred transport, logistical and trade hub of the wider Middle East region, Dubai continues to play a central role in the trade for garden, landscaping and outdoor living products.
Demand for horticultural machinery and appliances have seen the greatest increase, with imports of over AED 16.53 million (US$4.5 million in 2009 as compared with the 2008 figure of AED 12.05 million (US$3.28 million). Ex-ports in the same category stood at AED 4.7 million (US$1.28 million) in 2009 up from AED 4.22 million (US$1.15 million in 2008. Leading source countries for imports were the US, the Netherlands, Germany and South Korea, while Sudan, Iran, Iraq and India were the leading destinations for exports out of the UAE.
Swimming pools and related equipment have also been in increasing demand across the region, with imports rising to AED 151.48 million (US$41.24 mil-lion) in 2009 from AED 139.39 million (US$37.95 million) in 2008. China, Spain and the US were the major exporting countries to the UAE, while ex-ports of such products – which stood at AED 38.86 million (US$10.58 million) in 2009 – mostly went to Iran, India, Bahrain and Iraq.
The market for fertilisers, lighting and other outdoor living products have con-tinued to remain buoyant, a fact that will continue to see interest in this grow-ing segment at Garden+Landscaping Middle East 2010, where exhibitors and visitors will be looking to tap into and capitalise on this demand.
The only dedicated trade event for the garden, landscaping and outdoor living industries in the region, Garden+Landscaping Middle East is a prime network-ing location for manufacturers, suppliers, developers, consumers, architects and landscaping designers to name a few.
Garden+Landscaping Middle East 2010 will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from October 31st to November 2nd. The event will feature the latest trends, innovations and products that are currently in the spotlight in the world market and will provide local professionals an op-portunity to familiarise themselves with these trends.
