Dubai Exports, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), launched an initiative aimed at introducing food and beverage products from Dubai to importers in India.

The Outward Trade Mission of Food Producers to India, held by Dubai Exports’ Trade Office in India, served as a platform to acquaint Dubai exporters with the Indian market and its business opportunities. A total of 65 B2B meetings were organised between Dubai exporters and Indian importers during the mission.

Among the companies that participated at the mission were Masafi, Al Nassma Chocolate, Choco’a, Diamond Meat Processing, Gourmet House, Coffee Planet, and Kingdom Dates.

“As the official export promotion agency of the Dubai government, Dubai Exports’ role is to support local exporters to develop and diversify their overseas operations. The trade mission is an important tool to aid them in penetrating and showcasing their products and expertise to their target markets,” said Mohammed Ali Al Kamali, director of Export Markets Development, Dubai Exports.

On the sideline of the trade mission, the delegates composed of Dubai exporters from the food and beverage industry, also visited Fine Food India, India’s latest trade event for the retail, foodservice, bakery and hospitality industries.

Dubai Exports, supported by its office in India, hosted a stand to showcase Dubai’s F&B capabilities at the exhibition.

“Our presence at Fine Food India is important to increase Dubai’s profile as a leading food exporter to this region,” Al Kamali explained.

“India is among the leading trade destinations for the UAE. While gold remains as Dubai’s top exported product to India, the food and beverage industry is also a growing sector that our local exporters can explore.”

“In 2010, Dubai’s total direct exports to India posted Dh27.38 billion ($7.45 billion), a 28.42 per cent increase from Dh21.32 billion in 2009. Among the exported products to India last year such as sugar and confectionery amounted to Dh379.69 million while the cereal preparation was valued at Dh8.74 million,” Al Kamali said.

“We are optimistic that the ‘Outward Trade Mission of Food Producers to India’ will open avenues for Dubai-based companies to further boost the food and beverage exports not only in India but to other neighbouring countries.” he explained.

The mission included a market visit to Natures’ Basket, a local gourmet grocery; and Big Bazaar, a hypermarket, inside Ambience Mall in Gurgaon. The delegates also attended a networking reception hosted by the Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI).

On the last day of the mission, a presentation was given on the distribution and pricing value-chain of imported food products to equip exporters with the information to maximise the value of their meetings with the Indian importers during the Business to Business session.

During the mission, Dubai and Indian firms were able to discuss possible partnerships, with a couple of deals already underway. – TradeArabia News Service