The Dubai Municipality has signed a deal with Planetfair to organise the 7th edition of the International Trade Fair for vegetables and fruits in the Middle East, which will be held between 5 and 7 October at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The exhibition will serve to shed light on the latest market trends in the area of ​​fruits and vegetables, with the participation of the leading suppliers of fruits and vegetables at both local and international level.

The main goals are to establish Dubai’s position as a regional hub and global business centre for the trade of fresh fruits and vegetables, by showcasing the benefits of investment and the business opportunities available in Dubai’s central fruit and veg market; to boost the promotion of trade operations, both import and export, as well as to encourage and support local initiatives and build relationships and partnerships that can serve to share the best international experiences and practices in the field of fruit and vegetable trade.

According to commercial analytical statistics, the UAE is currently the largest fruit and vegetable importer among the Arab States and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the sixteenth largest in the world.

The report containing the annual and monthly trade statistics shows that the UAE imported fruits and vegetables were worth more than 9.2 billion dirhams last year, distributed between 6.1 billion dirhams of fruit and 3.1 billion dirhams of vegetables. In terms of volume, the country imported a total of 2.5 billion kilos of fresh fruit and vegetables; 1.2 billion kilos of fruit and 1.3 billion kilos of vegetables.

The report also pointed out that the UAE accounts for 44% of the total imports of fruits and vegetables to countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Obaid Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for public support of Dubai Municipality, is pleased to support the 7th edition of the International Trade Fair for vegetables and fruits in the Middle East in 2015, known widely as one of the most important events in this field, and which will provide an interactive platform for stakeholders and sector leaders to exchange their views for the promotion of the sector at a regional level, stressing the leading position and strong growth of Dubai as a regional hub for these two sectors.

The show will also serve to discuss important topics, such as safety in the trade of fresh produce, packaging, technical equipment, transport and logistics. There will be thirteen national pavilions for representatives from Australia, Belgium, China, Egypt, France, Italy, Kenya, Mauritius, Moldova, Morocco, Portugal, Poland and Spain.

For their part, the organisers of the exhibition revealed the number of exhibitors who have confirmed their participation has increased by 20%, and also that they expect the arrival of a total of 7 thousand visitors and decision-makers from around the world.

Source:http://www.freshplaza.com/article/145791/Dubai-International-Trade-Fair-for-fruit-and-veg-to-be-held-in-October