Bord Bia has launched a new three-year strategy which aims to increase Irish food and drink exports to the wider Middle East region to €380m by 2025, some €69m in additional value on the €311m exported in 2021.
The export growth to the region will be led by dairy and consumer foods.
The strategy will be the focus of the first Bord Bia Gulf trade mission since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission commences this week.
It will be led by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and he will be accompanied by 14 Irish food and drink companies.
Minister McConalogue and Department of Agriculture officials will travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this weekend.
Irish food and drink exports to these two countries alone were valued at €155m in 2021, “highlighting the continued strong opportunities that exist in this rapidly expanding market”, according to Bord Bia.
Priority markets
Bord Bia says it has identified Saudi Arabia and the UAE as priority markets for Irish produce in the in the Gulf region, where they account for a combined 50% of all current trade.
The Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional, intergovernmental political and economic union that consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The new three-year strategy aims to increase food and drinks exports to Saudi Arabia to €100m and the UAE to €85m by 2025.
Bord Bia says that in support of this goal, the key objectives for this week’s trade mission are to help drive commercial opportunities for Irish dairy and consumer food exporters in the region, improve government-to-government engagement in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and to enhance the reputation of Ireland as a trusted supplier and trading partner for high-quality, sustainably produced food and drink products. 
Specifically, Bord Bia says the UAE continues to be an important market for premium Irish beef.
During the five-day trade mission, Bord Bia plans on inaugurating a new Chefs’ Irish Beef Club (CIBC) member into the Dubai chapter.
CIBC is an exclusive international forum which brings together some of the world's most high-profile chefs who collectively endorse Irish beef.
Exhibition
The trade mission will also include the Irish delegation’s attendance at Gulfood, the world's largest annual food, beverage and hospitality trade exhibition (13-17 February), and a visit to the food, agriculture and livelihoods-themed week at EXPO 2020 (17-23 February) where Bord Bia organised panel discussions will be held at the Irish pavilion.
Bord Bia will also hold an additional 15 meetings with existing and targeted customers in the region to profile Ireland’s sustainable food and drink suppliers and showcase their commercial capabilities.
The Gulf region represents high potential growth opportunities for Irish food and drink producers
Another key focus for the trade mission will be a meeting in Dubai with the UAE’s minister of climate change and environment Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al-Muhairi and a meeting in Riyadh with minister for environment, water and agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen A. AlFadley, plus the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, all with a view to enhancing market access for Irish exporters.
Food security
Speaking ahead of the trade mission, Bord Bia global business development director Ailish Forde said: “The Gulf region represents high potential growth opportunities for Irish food and drink producers, a market that values high-quality products, and where Ireland is recognised for its excellence in producing sustainably produced products.”
She said that in a region where as much as 80% to 90% of food is imported, food security remains a key strategic and policy priority for Gulf states.
“Currently there are 43m people living in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and by 2050 this is expected to increase to 58m. Population growth has played, and will continue to play, a significant role in the surge in demand for food and food imports.
“Despite successes in developing domestic food production capabilities, these countries will remain largely reliant on importing food.
Ireland ideally placed
"Ireland is ideally positioned to meet this demand and, through Origin Green, can provide the perfect solution for the growing demands of consumers whose changing dietary habits mean they are becoming more aware of the need to purchase sustainably produced food.”
Ahead of travelling to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Minister McConalogue said: “The current market dynamics of the Gulf region, including strong GDP and increased consumer spending power, will make it an increasingly important market for our export-focused food industry.”
The Irish Farmers Journal will report on this week’s Bord Bia trade mission from the UAE. For updates on Minister McConalogue’s activity and the opportunities for Irish food and drinks companies, see www.farmersjournal.ie.
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