Pavilion hop
With 120 national pavilions and 10 new countries on board, the interest in the Middle East from across the world was represented through the companies present at the show

Peru
The Trade, Tourism and Investment Office of Peru in Dubai revealed that Peruvian exports to the GCC grew by 300%, driven partially by the agriculture sector.

Speaking to Caterer Middle East at the show, the Trade, Tourism and Investment Office of Peru director Alvaro Silva-Santisteban said: “When we arrived, our trade was around US$ 6.5million. Now, we are talking US$ 52 million in exports. So there’s been more than 300% growth, and from that, 50% is F&B.”

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“The sector where we think we can generate the biggest ties is F&B; Gulfood is our biggest participation in the whole Arab world and it’s the biggest sector where we think we can make a difference,” he added.

The Trade, Tourism and Investment Office of Peru was set up in Dubai in May 2011 to increase awareness of the country’s products, which, according to Silva-Santisteban, was negligible at the time. The organisation is now changing its strategy to focus on 10-12 key products in the GCC market, while adding complementary products and services.

“We already have a base in terms of exports, we are already more or less known. The first two years we focused on communication. Now that we are going into the third year, we are going from communication, to positioning,” said Silva-Santisteban.

The products they will focus on include asparagus, grapes, mangoes, avocados, paprika, seafood, ceviche, pulses, chocolate and cacao, and snacks such as dehydrated food, and evaporated milk.

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