The first trade mission by Bord Bia to the Gulf region since the start of Covid-19 took place on February 12th – 18th 2022. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. travelled with Bord Bia to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, accompanied by 14 Irish food and drink companies to launch Bord Bia’s new three-year business strategy for the region.
Bord Bia has identified Saudi Arabia and the UAE as priority markets in the region, accounting for a combined 50% of current Irish trade in the Gulf* region. In 2021, Irish food and drink exports to the wider Middle East** market were valued at €311 million comprising dairy and dairy ingredients worth €272 million, followed by consumer foods at €21 million.
Bord Bia’s new three-year strategy outlines a target of €380 million in Irish food and drink exports to the wider Middle East region by 2025, led by dairy and consumer foods. In this plan Ireland will target exports in excess of €100 million to Saudi Arabia and €85 million to the UAE by 2025. In support of this goal, the key objectives for the trade mission were 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 enhance the reputation of Ireland as a trusted supplier and trading partner for high-quality, sustainably produced food and drink products.
Videos of our panel discussion and client seminar can be found below, as well as the accompanying slide decks used in the presentations.
For any further info, please reach out to lauren.hannon@bordbia.ie
Sustainability Panel Discussion @ EXPO
