Oman, represented by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), concluded its successful participation at the world’s biggest annual foodservice, hospitality and retail event, Gulfood 2014 in Dubai amid applause from the visitors who flocked to the Sultanate's pavilion.

Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, the chief executive of PEIE, affirmed that the Sultanate's participation this year was a successful one in terms of the positive results achieved by the companies which were part of its pavilion at the expo.

 "We are pleased to witness the presence of Omani companies specialised in the field of food industry at Gulfood 2014; the number this year has doubled with the increase in the space reserved for the Sultanate's pavilion. Besides, the owners of the companies informed us that several excellent deals were made during their participation at the event," Al Hasani noted.

He added, "We aspire to see more Omani companies taking part next year. The PEIE spares no effort in supporting the food industry and localising it in the various industrial estates in the Sultanate. We are currently working in cooperation with the Directorate General of Industry at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (PAIPED) to build an industrial base specialising in the field of food products in future, so that it gets an integrated technologically advanced area to embrace various food products."

On the other hand, the participants who took part under the umbrella of PEIE stressed the importance of seeing more Omani companies specialised in the food industry to be present next year in the expo.

Salim bin Taman Al Maashani, CEO of Dhofar Poultry Company, said, "It was important for us to take part in this event as it helps in promoting our products locally, regionally and globally. For us, the expo serves as a gateway to people from all over the world. We aim at expanding our customers' network and spread awareness about our products to our current and potential customers. Undoubtedly, we will continue to participate in similar exhibitions inside and outside the Sultanate."

Hilal bin Saif Al Hosni, director of marketing at Modern Dairy Factory, said the key objective was to spread the company's products geographically to visitors who flocked to the Sultanate's pavilion at the Gulfood expo.

"Besides, we benefitted from the presence of high profile organisations under one platform to be acquainted with the latest innovations and services in the field. It is necessary nowadays to approach new markets besides the local market. The Modern Diary Factory strives continuously to participate in similar platforms, which contributes to opening channels of communication between consumers and those in charge of production and distribution," Al Hosni said, adding: "The visitors to the pavilion were amazed with the high quality of Omani products, which are committed to the international quality standards," Al Hosni stated.

Areej Vegetable Oils and Derivatives SAOG also marked a strong presence at Gulfood 2014. Salim bin Nasser Al Bortmany, deputy general manager said: "The pavilion has allowed us to meet new potential customers from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We are proud for representing Oman in such an event."

Nilesh Ved, the GM of Oman Foodstuff Factory (Mudhish), said, "At the expo, the visitors were able to know more about our products and they could give their recommendations to further develop our products."

Navin J Kumbla, the project manager at Gulf Converting Industries, commented, "As a new company based in Rusayl Industrial Estate, it is vital for us to market our various products locally, regionally and internationally. We were able to get good deals and spread good reputation about our products."

"Taking part in similar event contribute directly to increasing the volume of exports for Omani companies. We are glad that the visitors to the exhibition have become aware of the excellent quality of Omani products," he added.-TradeArabia News Service