CAIRO: The final destinations of nearly half of all Egyptian food exports are Arab countries, making the region its most important market, according to a press statement. Total exports from Egypt totalled $305 million for the first half of 2008, according to statistics from Egypt's Ministry of Trade and Industry. Exports to Arab countries from Egypt were valued at $102 million in 2007, from a total of $224 million. Egyptian businesses in the food and catering sector will participate in the UAE's Gulfood, showcasing products and launching new offers. Hundreds of trade visitors and exhibitors from Egypt will arrive in Dubai from Feb. 23-26 to attend Gulfood exhibition for food, drink, foodservice and hospitality equipment. "Trade relations have grown at an unprecedented rate and with the UAE's increasing demand for food products, the value of imports from Egypt is expected to continue this upward trend, said Helal Saeed Al Marri, CEO of the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC). The Egyptian pavilion is one of the largest at this year's show, sprawling over 1,000 square meters. "We consider Gulfood to be one of the world's best food shows, it provides us with huge opportunities to meet current and new clients and enables us to expand our export business, said Farag Amer, chairman of Faragalla Group. "To support increasing specialization within the market, Gulfood introduced dedicated halls within the show for specific products and services, ranging from processing, packaging and labeling, through to beverage and beverage equipment, read the statement. For the first year, Ingredients Middle East will be co-located with Gulfood, where suppliers of raw material and ingredients for food, beverages, and health food will participate. The fourth Dubai International Food Safety Conference will examine the challenges facing the market, including the consequences of food-borne illness, and new regulatory standards which have been introduced for previously unknown or unregulated hazards. At Gulfood's Salon Culinaire, around 1,000 international chefs will compete in front of a panel of 20 international judges. Gulfood will also host comprehensive beverage workshops, organized by industry specialists Zenith International. Organised since 1987, Gulfood saw a record number of visitors in 2008, totaling more than 39,000 trade professionals from 148 countries.
