World of Perishables (WOP Dubai), the leading trade fair for fruits and vegetables, and Eurofruit Congress Middle East, running end-to-end, will cover key trends and developments for the fresh produce market in the region.

The Eurofruit Congress Middle East, organised by Eurofruit Magazine, will take place on September 24 and 25 at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, followed by WOP Dubai from September 26 to 28 at the Dubai Airport Expo.

The back-to-back events have positioned the Middle East as a fast-growing market for quality fresh fruits and vegetables from all over the world. Both events create an exclusive, combined platform for professionals to exchange best practices, network and create business.

The importance of WOP Dubai and the Eurofruit Congress is to highlight the steady growth of the fruit and vegetable industry in the region.

Dubai itself has seen a 16 per cent growth in fresh fruit imports and a 20 per cent growth in fresh vegetable imports from 2008 to 2010.  Dubai has also proved to be the re-export centre for the region for markets such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

“Dubai is at the centre of this dynamic market of more than 250m consumers and is the business hub for the Middle East region as a whole,” said Tarek Sibai, project manager for planetfair, the organisers of WOP Dubai.

“We are happy to be partnered with the Eurofruit Congress Middle East because this conference and WOB Dubai focus on the same industry, so we complement each other.”

“While WOP Dubai is positioned as a platform for the perishables and plant industries to connect suppliers and service providers from across the globe, this conference with Eurofruit will tackle issues and trends for delegates to improve their business and keep them one step ahead of the game.  Both events are vital for the growth of the industry in this region.”

The Eurofruit Congress Middle East will cover a range of topics, including ‘Retail spotlight: The final link in the chain’, ‘New sources, new opportunities’, ‘Food preservation in the desert’, ‘Sustainability issue drives innovation’ and ‘Shifting dynamics in the Gulf.’

Key companies speaking at the conference will include All Lemon (Argentina), Evrosad (Slovenia), Trade Waves (Egypt), AMFI (Lebanon) and Mint (Spain).

Besides hearing from these industry experts, delegates will have ample networking opportunities to make quality new contacts within the region and beyond.

“The Eurofruit Congress is a great way to lead into WOP Dubai, which has strengthened Dubai as an important destination and worldwide trading centre for fruits and vegetables.  We had over 3,500 visitors last year and are expecting a 25 per cent increase in visitors and also a 35 per cent increase in floor space at the Dubai Airport Expo,” Sibai added. – TradeArabia News Service