Chilean blueberry exporters seek new opportunities in Dubai
It is the first mission of this country that comes to the emirate to contact importers, distributors, wholesalers and retail chains.
In order to generate new contacts with importers, distributors, wholesale markets and retail chains, the Committee of Blueberries of Chile, entity that operates under the umbrella of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile AG (ASOEX), carried out its first mission to Dubai, the economic capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On the occasion, the national delegation - composed of the Executive Director of the Blueberry Committee, Andrés Armstrong; ASOEX Marketing Director for Asia and Europe, Charif Christian Carvajal; the Commercial Attaché of ProChile in UAE, Sharif Chacoff; and representatives of Chilean blueberry export companies - toured the wholesale market in Dubai, retail chains, holding key meetings with importers and distributors of fresh fruits from this market.
The activities in the Emirate of Dubai began with a meeting with ProChile's Commercial Attaché in the UAE, Sharif Chacoff, who during the meeting provided details about the market and potential for Chilean blueberries. In this sense, Chacoff highlighted that the desert characteristics of the Middle East make it highly dependent on imported foods, and mainly, perishable foods such as fresh fruit. «If we consider the group of 6 member countries of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait) who import the 90% of their food, they have greater stability in the region to do business and an average per capita GDP higher than the rest of the Arab countries (USD 72.000), we can understand the opportunities that this region gives to Chile in fruit matter, since most of the Chilean competitors are in a contra-season, with the exception of from South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina«, he pointed out.
Likewise, the professional added that although the demand for fruits is continuous, throughout the year, it grows in Ramadam, «"Well, the fruits are especially suitable for breaking the daily fast of the Muslim world," he explained. The ProChile representative also highlighted the need to have a presence in the market. «Remote business is very ineffective, even more so if there are no preferential tariffs for any country (0% for all suppliers). Cultivating a relationship of trust and understanding the dynamics of the market becomes relevant not only for commercial prospecting, but also for maintaining business, in a market where margins are not abundant. Therefore this mission is vital«, he pointed out.
In that same sense, Andrés Armstrong, Executive Director of the Blueberry Committee pointed out: «As a Committee, our goal is to open new markets, diversify channels and deliver greater opportunities to exporters, therefore, during this visit what we strengthened was the approach with importers, distributors, and retailers, as well as the delivery of information about our blueberries , its characteristics and availability«.
«We have completed a hectic and comprehensive agenda in Dubai, where we have met with importers of the Al Aweer Wholesale Market of fresh fruit and representatives of national retail chains such as Spinneys and Lulu, which have the capacity to import fresh blueberries, directly"Armstrong added.
For his part, Charif Christian Carvajal commented: «Emiratos is an interesting and growing market in terms of blueberry consumption, especially conventional, as the organic cranberry market is still very incipient. In addition, it is a market focused on quality and price, therefore, today importers are looking for the best price-quality ratio in blueberries. Then, establishing relations of approach with importers is vital for our blueberries, and in this context we met with the directors of one of the main importers of fresh fruits and vegetables of Dubai.«.
Carvajal added that during the meetings three were the key messages of the national industry. First, highlighting the contra station of the Chilean supply, and therefore, complementary to the imports that the Emirates makes of this fruit, especially from the United States and Canada. A second point was to reveal the history of Chile as a global supplier of fresh fruits, which places it as the world's leading exporter in fruits such as blueberries, table grapes and cherries, as well as the largest exporter of fresh fruits in the southern hemisphere. A third highlight was the industry's commitment to emerging markets, such as the United Arab Emirates.
It should be noted that the delegation will continue to travel to New Delhi and Mumbai, where it will also hold meetings with importers, distributors and retail.
Source: SimFruit
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