All about food THE FIFTEENTH annual international food and beverage exhibition GIDA 2007 will be held 31 October to 3 November in Istanbul, Turkey. Organisers believe that the event, which is supported by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Works and the Federation of Turkish Food Associations, will attract 14,000 visitors and 433 exhibitors. According to Emre Otzelli, commercial consullor at the Turkish Embassy in Cairo, GIDA 2007 is a good opportunity for Egyptian businessmen who want to meet Turkish importers, as well as companies interested in establishing partnerships with the international companies, buyers and supermarkets. A vast array of food, beverage, ingredients and processed products will be on show. "Turkey is a major agriculture producer and among the eight self-sufficient countries in the world in foodstuff sector," noted Elif Kaya, manager of the Visitor Promotion Department at the CNR exhibition centre and Istanbul Trade Fairs (ITF) Group, the fair's organisers. Kaya added that worldwide, Turkey ranked fifth and ninth respectively in vegetable and fruit production. In 2006, Turkey's food exports netted $7.5 billion, a 5.5 per cent growth in the sector, while imports totalled $1.97 billion. She added that Turkey has successfully taken important steps to make its laws compatible with those of the EU, including ones on the protection and maintenance of free competition, protection of consumer rights, as well as trademarks and intellectual patents. Kaya asserted that GIDA 2007 will provide a focal point for the global food industry and showcase the latest processing and packaging equipments. It is also the best business-to-business platform for domestic and international food producers and buyers. CERTain opportunity ARTOC GROUP has partnered with the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT) and invested $10 million in Abu Dhabi CERT Innovations, according to ARTOC Chairman and Managing Director Mohamed Shafiq Gabr. He has also joined the board of CERT Capital, chaired by UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Nahyan Mabarak Al-Nahyan. According to CERT's financial advisor CORECAP, a $10 million venture capital investment confirms the fund's compelling investment opportunity as part of the private equity landscape -- one of the fastest growing asset classes globally. CORECAP CEO Khaled Rashed said that CERT Innovations primarily invest in the embryonic and evolving technology, healthcare and education sectors. According to Rashed, the fund targets an internal rate of return of 25 per cent annually. "As CERT's financial advisor, we are keen to build on our strategic alliance and partnership with the ARTOC Group to nurture and grow regional businesses," he said, describing the partnership as "an example of established private and public sector players working together towards the goal of developing regional economies." CERT Capital's Vice-Chairman Tayeb Kamali, who is also vice-chancellor of higher colleges of technology, pointed out that CERT is the largest Middle East and North Africa investor in the discovery and commercialisation of technology, investing $35 million in 2006. CERT is involved in strategic alliances with a number of large multinational organisations in developing a diverse range of business and technology solutions such as IBM, Intel, Honeywell and Lucent Technologies. Gabr noted that CERT provides investors a unique opportunity to participate in ongoing economic growth and long-term development of the Middle East and North Africa region. "The organisation's track record and institutional structure are very attractive, and we look forward to accelerating its future development while cementing our strategic partnership," he stated. Studying world markets THE GERMAN Arab Chamber of Commerce (GACC) and Industry is organising a workshop on export marketing between 28-31 October. According to GACC CEO Peter Goepfrich, the workshop serves Egyptian exporters who have buyers in European and/or other world markets. Tamer Darwish, head of FORMAT -- the training department affiliated to GACC -- explained that the workshop helps participants make the right decisions when penetrating foreign markets, and promoting their goods abroad. "The aim of the workshop is to update participants' knowledge of key developments in world markets, analyse the impact of these developments on enterprise export prospects, and acquire valuable tools for improving enterprise export readiness," noted Darwish.
