Pakistani exporters can easily double their food exports to the UAE from 500 million to 1 billion as the Gulf country needs all kinds of foodstuff, from fresh vegetables to meat and frozen food, Pakistan s Ambassador to the UAE Jamil Ahmed Khan told Khaleej Times at Gulfood 2013.

Around 30 exhibitors are representing the country at the food exhibition. Of this number, 23 companies are participating under the banner of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, which promotes trade and investment for the country"Last year, our exhibitors got reasonably good orders and that s why we had reached to a level of almost 500 million exports to the UAE," Khan said during his visit to Pakistan s pavilion at the exhibition.

"We feel that our exporters have much larger potential and that could take them from the current level of 500 million to 1 billion easily, because this country imports food items worth more than 5 billion," he added.Business Monitor International, or BMI, predicted that there will be a 5.3 per cent increase in food consumption this year in the UAE. However, total food consumption of the country is expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 6.2 per cent to reach a value of Dh37.5 billion in 2017, BMI added.

According to the estimates, Gulf countries import more than 250,000 tonnes of meat, with 100,000 tonnes of this being imported from Australia alone. So there is a large scope for Pakistan to increase exports to the UAE and other GCC nations, Khan said."Our exporters can take the advantage of being one of the closest countries," he added.

The ambassador said that Pakistan s foodstuff exports to GCC countries already touched the level of 1 billion in 2012. He said there is tough competition in the market, so Pakistani exporters should update their machinery and packaging to make their products competitive.
On-time delivery is also very important in addition to other things, he added. Among foodstuff, poultry products is one of the important import items to the UAE as the country is expected to import around 120,000 tonnes poultry products this year, compared to around 79,000 tonnes in 2008, he said.

More importantly, food security is one of the top agendas of GCC leaders and because of that, the demand for food items will continue to rise in the region, Khan added.Another area of interest, he said, is in re-export. The UAE is the region s top and most important market in terms of re-exports. "Whatever is imported in this country is re-exported about 65 per cent. I believe there would be potential for our people in this segment," Khan added.

Talking about major export items to the UAE, he said that Pakistan exports rice, processed food, chicken, meat, oil, wheat flour, vegetables, fruits, frozen products, pickles, spices, juices and many others.Majority of the exhibitors at Pakistan s pavilion are not new in this market and even at the show. They already have their products in the UAE and other GCC countries through their distributor network.

Rehan Wasi, country head of Pure Food, said there is a steady and stable growth for the company s products in the UAE and other Gulf nations. "We specially deal in spices and rice with brand name Mehran," Wasi said. The company will introduce more products in two to three months time in the region, he added.

Muhammad Jaffer, senior manager for International Marketing at Young s, said this is the company s fourth year of participation at Gulfood. "The basic purpose of the participation is to meet new and existing customers here," he said. The company, which mainly deals in sandwich spreads, also markets its products through distributors in all Gulf countries.

Salman Lodhi, senior manager at Zaiqa Food Industries, said it s their second year of participation at the show and last year was good experience. The Karachi-based company said all of its production goes to export markets. Zaiqa, which deals in spices, pastes, chutneys, sauces and pickles, markets its products through one distributor in the UAE.