Dubai – Gulfood, the food and beverage sector show taking place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is gaining momentum again in its 28th edition after three years of COVID-19 pandemic. The Egypt pavilion at the show was an example of this, as it received an unprecedented number of visitors during the first and second days of the event
The deputy director of Egypt’s Food Export Council (FEC), Tamim El-Dawy, believes the current edition has the highest participation in the last three years. According to him, the pavilion is receiving significant attention from importers, mainly from African and Middle Eastern countries. El-Dawy attributes the interest to Egypt’s food industry’s achievements and increased productivity. He said Egyptian companies had obtained the most significant food safety and conformity certifications with European and North American specifications.
El-Dawy emphasized the growth in the number of visitors to the pavilion is a good measure of the global trade upturn. It is also an attempt to overcome global challenges and alleviate bottlenecks the world economy faces with the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, which brought recession and a significant spike in global inflation.
Egyptians at Gulfood
Abdul Rahman Maghazi, export manager of Mashreq for Business Development, a company specializing in the production of natural beverages and one of the exhibitors at the Egypt pavilion, said the 28th Gulfood is different from what it was in previous years. Visitor participation is high, and there is a genuine desire on their part to close contracts and resume trade between countries.
Citing the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the resulting shortages in supply chains with rising prices, Maghazi emphasized companies worldwide have been badly affected and suffered meaningful losses over the past three years. But he sees the show reveals a strong desire from global companies to restore normalcy and facilitate the resumption of the foreign trade flow. Maghazi believes the level of visitor attendance at the show and the quality of visits confirm the desire to overcome the global crises and return to business as usual.
Engineer Youssef Abu Hado, Board chairman of Syrian company Maddox International, which manufactures machines for the production of snacks and appetizers, a visitor to the exhibition, also perceives a Gulfood different from previous years. He participates in the show to serve clients of the Egypt-based company. At the show, Hado has already met with new companies and will get in touch with them at the show’s end The executive believes companies will not endure the extension of the recession and need the global economy to return to normalcy.
Translated by Georgette Merkhan & Elúsio Brasileiro
