The Gulfood exhibition will be held in Dubai later this month, and as many as 167 Egyptian companies will be attending in a bid to promote their food exports.
Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, exhibitions and events management, DWTC, said: “Though a long-standing Gulfood partner, Egypt is bringing a much wider, multi-commodities exhibitor profile to the event in 2016 covering suppliers of freshly frozen fruit and vegetables, chocolate biscuits, dairy and dates.”
“There appears to be renewed impetus among Egyptian producers given that food exports are increasingly accounting for increased revenues in export earnings,” she added.
In 2014, Egypt shipped $26.8 billion worth of goods around the globe with vegetables, fruits and nuts featuring among the country’s top five exports, said the statement.
Between 2010 and 2014, Egypt’s exports of vegetables reached $1.2 billion and accounted for 4.6 per cent of all exports while those of fruits and nuts jumped to $1.1 billion and represented 3.9 per cent of export totals, it added.
Though the majority of Egyptian exhibitors’ focus will be on new supplier connections and emerging source markets to further its export potential, international equipment suppliers both exhibiting at and visiting the show are targeting Egyptian food and beverage industry companies driving the country’s expanding food production sector and catering to its large domestic consumer base.
The independent competitive intelligence advisory BMI Research has sounded a bullish forecast for Egypt’s food and beverage industry despite challenges such as high inflation.
BMI has forecast that total food consumption will account for a compound annual growth of 11 per cent until 2019 with per capital food consumption growing just over 9 per cent over the same period.
