South Africaˇ¦s Consul General to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), David
Magabe, has urged local companies to tap into the Middle Eastˇ¦s
agro-processing sector. ˇ§The UAE and the Middle East in general have
always been a good market for South Africa in terms of export opportunities.
The UAE is looking at increasing its volume of imports from countries that
they are trading with, and South Africa is well-positioned to supply
agricultural products covering the entire agro-processing value chain,ˇ¨ said
Consul General Magabe on Thursday, 21 February 2019.
This as South African companies, led by the Department of Trade and Industry
(dti), were showing off their wares at the Gulfood Exhibition, which was
held in Dubai.
Speaking at South Africaˇ¦s exhibition stand at the fair, Consul General
Magabe said vegetables and agro-processing products were the third most
imported products from South Africa and constituted a 12,17% share of the
UAEˇ¦s total imports.
He reiterated that South Africa had the capacity to produce enough in order
to supply the UAE market.
ˇ§I urge South African entrepreneurs and emerging farmers to make use of
these opportunities and engage government on the support they offer,
particularly to new companies that are keen on exporting into these
markets,ˇ¨ said Consul General Magabe.
Gulfood is hailed as the leading food and beverage exhibition in the Gulf
region, bringing together exporters, importers, distributors, retailers,
wholesalers, food producers and restaurateurs from more than 100 countries.
The exhibition draws about 5 000 exhibitors and more than 100 000 visitors
from 120 countries annually.
Consul General Magabe said platforms like Gulfood gave South African
businesses an opportunity to network and look for exports opportunities
beyond the Gulf countries.
South Africaˇ¦s exports to the UAE grew from R11,7 billion in 2013 to R23,5
billion in 2017.
ˇV Source: SAnews.gov.za |