A delegation of companies associated with Proexport, the fresh produce association for the Spanish region of Murcia, are out in force in Dubai this week as they aim to explore new opportunities in the Middle East.
Headed up by Proexport president John Marin, the delegation hopes to consolidate new trade agreements with importers and distributors of fresh produce across the region through a series of meetings and appearances at the likes of WOP Dubai.
Dubai imports some 4.3m tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables each year, with 1m tonnes of that redistributed to other Middle Eastern countries.
'These figures and the desire to diversify Proexport's destination markets for its members' exports justify this trade mission,' noted Proexport director Fernando Gomez.
'Dubai is a tough market, where we have to compete hard with other producers who have lower logistics costs than us,' Gomez continued. 'Importers appreciate the quality of our products and the guarantee of having production throughout the year, but we have the obstacle of procurement costs, higher than those of our competitors – the Netherlands mainly.'
According to Proexport, it will be negotiating with the likes of Emirates Airlines with the goal of reducing transport costs for moving Murcian products including lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, melons, peppers, celery and citrus.
The trade mission will also see meeting with purchasing managers from Al Maya Supermarket, Geant, Shoithram and others, while there will be visits to central markets and the WOP trade fair.
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