The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has finished up meetings which explored opportunities to increase trade to the Middle East with UK beef and lamb exporters and key buyers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The AHDB was joined by six importers from the UAE for the three-day trade mission in the UK.
Senior halal sector manager for the AHDB Dr. Awal Fuseini said: “The UAE is becoming an increasingly important market for our exporters, and we are keen to maximise on the many opportunities this region presents.”
Supported by the Department of International Trade (DIT), the main purpose of the visit was to help exporters in the UK access new markets in the Middle East, where imports of red meat continue to rise.
Dr. Fuseini explained that the visit was to “facilitate valuable face-to-face meetings between key buyers from the UAE and our beef and lamb exporters to boost trade in this valuable market”.
This trade mission follows an AHDB-led mission to the UAE last November.
Opportunities in UAE
AHDB international market development director Dr. Phil Hadley described one of AHDB’s strategic objectives as being that of identifying new markets for exporters to “create further opportunities for our red meat sectors”.
“By hosting this mission, and others like it, we are able to make valuable connections with key buyers in these important markets and help bring a much-needed boost to our levy payers,” he said.
AHDB will be returning to Gulfood, one of the world’s largest annual trade exhibitions, in Dubai, in February 2023, with red meat and dairy exporters from the UK to showcase their products to thousands of potential buyers from around the world.
