Dubai – Halls full of stands and aisles crowded with visitors. This is the backdrop for the first day of Gulfood, the main food sector fair in the Middle East, that began on Sunday (19) and ends on Thursday, in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The movement reflects the current scenery in the market in the region.
“The event is growing, the local economy speeding up and exporters are finding opportunities to sell more than in other markets,” said Mark Napier, the Fair and Event director at Dubai World Trade Centre, which organizes the exhibition, to ANBA.
According to him, on the one hand, the local market depends on import of food and beverages. The Emirates, for example, buys 90% of its products in the sector on the international market. The Gulf region is mainly desert and does not produce enough to supply its population.
On the other hand, as the country is a foreign trade hub, 80% of what is purchased ends up being reexported to other nations. Among the main destinations, according to Napier, are countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Record European participation in the fair is a sign of the heated scenery in the . “[European] exhibitors are acting more aggressively in the market. They are seeking more clients, and are mainly interested in the markets that are growing most, and the Middle East is among them,” said the executive.
In his evaluation, European companies are seeking alternatives to their domestic markets, which are wilting, due to the crisis on the continent. “They are not selling [enough] at home, so they have to export , and they may reach a great market here,” he pointed out. “It is no surprise that they (the Europeans) are trying to accommodate themselves [here],” he added.
Brazilians
The faith in the good scenery in the sector in the region is shared by Brazilian companies that are exhibiting at the fair. “We have been preparing ourselves for this market since 2008 and, each year, we seek more clients and also attempt to improve what we already have,” said the foreign trade manager at biscuit factory Marilan, César Reis. “This fair is spectacular. In terms of movement, it is the best in the world due to its [visitor] diversity,” he pointed out.
Napier said that from 2008 to date the fair has doubled in size. There are 3,800 exhibitors from 88 nations and it is expected to attract 65,000 visitors from 150 countries.
To Solange Isidoro, of sweet and caramel factory Embaré, the fair grows solidly and the market is becoming more and more promising for the food sector. “It is excellent for us,” she said, adding that, due to the Arab Spring, sales to countries like Egypt and Yemen were affected, but that there has been no reduction in sales to the Gulf.
Marilan and Embaré are already veterans at the fair, but some companies are participating for the first time. That is the case with Mavalério, from Itatiba, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, which produces sweets for use in cakes and other deserts. “The Middle East is a market that is still little explored by us. That is also the case in Eastern Europe and Asia,” said the company representative. He added that the movement on the first day of the fair was very good and that he is optimistic regarding to the opportunities.
Napier added that the breadmaking and confectionery areas are among the strongest in Gulfood and that the demand for raw material for the industry in the area is intense.
Natural
According to him, there is also greater and greater presence of organic products, which are fresh and considered beneficial for health. “There is greater concern as to what you eat,” he said.
In this line, two exhibitors from Brazil are offering assai, a fruit that, when mashed, is among the favourite foods of Brazilian athletes. João Batista Ribeiro, from Brasphil Trading, said that there is good acceptance of the product. He said he made contact with a company from Abu Dhabi that was interested in importing assai to sell to jiu-jitsu fighters. Ribeiro also offers mashed fruit like cashew, soursop, cupuassu and acerola.
Marcelo Gurgel Oliveira, in turn, owns a trading company in partnership with a friend from Kuwait, and created brand Açaí M.E.N.A., specifically for the Middle East and North Africa. The product is made by Amazônia Energy, from Belém do Pará, and is sold both in bulk and in retail packages, in small pots similar to Häagen Dazs ice cream pots. The small containers were custom made for a supermarket chain in Kuwait.
Oliveira, who also participated in the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade delegation to the Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which ended on Saturday, said he also made good contacts with importers of both countries and of Jordan.
To the manager of the Brazilian Fruit Institute (Ibraf) export project, Stela Del Nery, there is much demand for fruit processed in the region, but Brazilian companies have not yet become aware of the opportunities. “The market has been growing and there is fantastic potential. Brazil is still crawling, but it is a matter of time,” he said.
Meats are up
In the case of beef, according to Fernando Sampaio, the executive director at the Brazilian Beef Industry and Exporters Association (Abiec), the year started well, after a 2011 that was not as busy. The price of the Brazilian product is more competitive and there is optimism in the sector.
“We are optimistic regarding this year, and the [Arab] market is still very important,” he pointed out. According to him, North Africa and the Middle East, including Iran, which is not Arab, are the main destination for Brazilian beef, even above Russia.
Napier said that Gulfood had a turnover of “hundreds of millions of dollars” in business and that there is a list of 900 companies aiming to exhibit. For this reason, his company organises three other fairs, throughout the year, specifically for seafood, fine foods and sweets.
*Translated by Mark Ament
