A 14-member Malaysian delegation is set to participate in the upcoming ‘Sea Food Expo 2009’, a dedicated seafood event, as part of extensive plans to exceed the $1.59 million seafood exports recorded by the country to the UAE in 2008.

The participation is also aimed at increasing the value of its overall fish and fishery exports to the Middle East, which is currently at $5 million, according to Infofish, an intergovernmental organisation that provides marketing information and technical advisory services to the fishery industry of the Asia-Pacific region.

Orange Fair & Events, the event organisers, have revealed that the show continues to strengthen Dubai’s repute as the best destination to promote Halal seafood products to the Middle East market.

With an estimated 10 to 15 tons of seafood being auctioned off within the Dubai fish market on a daily basis, the seafood trade in the emirate remains thriving amidst the current recession. Dubai’s relatively affluent expatriate community and its hospitality sector also make the emirate an excellent hub for Halal seafood imports and exports from across the globe.

Among the products to be exhibited at the show, which is slated to run from October 12 to 14, are frozen white Hoso shrimp, cooked and peeled sea shrimp, cuttlefish and squid, raw peeled shrimp, frozen tiger prawns, surimi based products, and tuna floss.

“With the Middle East fast becoming one of the leading hubs for Halal seafood trade, Malaysian companies are very interested in exposing their high quality certified Halal seafood products to prospective regional and global customers in the country,” said Dr S Subasinghe, director, Infofish.

Launched in 1981 as a project of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Infofish is committed to promoting fishery products from its member countries - Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, DPR Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Thailand. Its activities include bringing buyers and sellers together, publications of current and long-term marketing information and provision of technical advisory and specialised services.

“Dubai continues to be an ideal destination for ‘Sea Food Expo 2009’, given the accessibility to the globe’s primary Halal market and the huge demand for seafood in the local market itself. We expect to attract more than 200 companies from 33 countries,” concluded Nafees Ahmed, project manager, Orange Fairs & Events.-TradeArabia News Service