Dubai: Middle East Exhibition of Organic & Natural Products from Nov 2 to 4

- Media Release

Dubai, 26 Oct 2015: The UAE ministry of environment and water announced here on Sunday October 25, the launch of the 13th edition of the Middle East Exhibition for Organic and Natural Products (MENOPE), taking place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) from November 2 to November 4.

 

Supported by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the three-day exhibition has a confirmed participation of over 125 companies. In addition, many regional and international government organizations, including Dubai Municipality; ministry of agriculture, department of agriculture, Philippines; ministry of agriculture and agro-based industry, Malaysia; and ministry of AYUSH, India will also be present.

 

Engineer Fatma Al Kalbani, director of the ministry of environment and water’s Agricultural development department, said: ‘Under the support of the Ministry of Environment and Water, the current edition of MENOPE will host 125 companies representing over 26 countries. The Ministry plays a leading role in strengthening and facilitating agricultural entrepreneurship, including businesses related to organic and natural products. Moreover, it has created an economic and social environment conducive to the growth of the industry.’

 

 

‘The Ministry has taken proactive steps in promoting organic and natural products in the local market through the development of a package of technology services and legal infrastructure. This package aims to facilitate agri-business and drive the UAE to become one of the leading and highly advanced countries in organic and natural products,’ she added.

 

Furthermore, Engineer Al Kalbani said that the UAE’s excellent infrastructure has helped in the growth of the organic food sector, especially with the increasing number of organic farms in the country and the growing consumer demand for these products.

 

Engineer Nadim Al Fuqaha, managing director of Global Links – the organisers of MENOPE, said: ‘The organic and natural products market has gradually moved up to a fast trajectory of growth, and has attained a stable phase now. In our opinion, the current surge in growth is led by new demand for fresh farm produce with more local farms gaining market access. Buoyancy in the uptake of food and beverage products has also influenced growing demand. The trends show that greater interest in natural and organic products across the beauty and cosmetics business as well as in herbal, alternative and natural medicines are also fuelling the overall demand in this sector.’

 

Explaining further, Engineer Al Fuqaha said that with the rise in demand and emergence of new young consumers, there are new local, regional and international players who are ready to explore the market. ‘The interest of new players in the market is evident in this year’s MENOPE as we have the debuting presence of many African companies from Ghana and Zambia along with European nations such as Bulgaria, among others,’ he concluded.

 

Farm produce, Food and Beverages

MENOPE officials said that the organic food and beverage sector has been consistently on the rise every consecutive year in the last 12 years. Quoting a Euromonitor study, Engineer Al Fuqaha said that in 2002, the MENA food and beverage market was worth USD 11 million and is poised to grow to US$ 120 million by 2017.

 

Likewise, there has been rampant increase in demand for farm-fresh local produce across the GCC. ‘According to a Frost and Sullivan study, the region’s organic farming is set to touch USD 1.5 billion by 2018, reflecting the changing habits of consumers on the lookout for healthy, chemical and toxin-free food produce,’ Engineer Al Fuqaha said.

 

First Emirates International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Products

Debuting this year at MENOPE is the First Emirates International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Products. It is a unique seminar which will shed more light into the Middle East’s organic movement across market access, technology, and support systems from governments.

 

‘This is the first time such a comprehensive seminar on organic agriculture and sustainability is taking place at MENOPE. Going forward, we would like to hold this as an annual event with the support and patronage of the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water,’ said Joby Mathew Muricken, project head, MENOPE.

 

Apart from technical  topics, the  two-day conference will share information on the approach of the ministry of environment and water  to develop the UAE’s organic farming sector, standardization in organic and related products, consumer perceptions towards  organic products, and organic certification, to name a few.