JEDDAH, 14 May 2007 — Saudi Arabia’s 12th international showcase for the food, hotel and packaging industry opened here yesterday, with a large turnout of visitors, mostly traders and professionals.
Deputy Minister for Agriculture Research and Development Affairs Dr. Abdullah Al-Obaid was visibly impressed with the exhibits as he toured the show after formally opening it. More than 200 national, regional and international companies from 17 countries have put up stands displaying their products and services. “Products are excellent and their display superb,” the minister remarked.
The five-day exhibition is broadly divided into three main sectors — food, hospitality and packaging industries, with all of them strongly represented by local manufacturers and international leaders.
The annual exhibition is the Kingdom’s national showcase and the region’s international forum for global suppliers. It has assumed importance with the Kingdom’s import of food, food products and beverages exceeding $7 billion annually and thus emerging as the single largest market in the region in this segment. The Kingdom’s fast-food market alone is estimated to be worth $800 million per annum, which is around 40 percent of the total Gulf market.
“I have come from Abu Dhabi as a visitor to the event,” Abdullah Al Shamsi, a food trader, said. China, Egypt, India, Iran, Italy, Korea, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Poland, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and the UAE are taking part in the show alongside Saudi exhibitors who represent major local and international brands in various sectors.
On the sidelines of the exhibition are “Top chef Arabia” and “Art de table” presentations that have proved to be a big draw in the past years. Last year, the event attracted more than 10,000 visitors with more than half of them decision makers, professionals and specifiers.
The annual exhibition nets multimillion riyal deals between overseas participants and their local business partners.
