Onion promotion
Over ten years ago in 2001/2002 and 2003 Madeline was still working at NIVAA and was also involved in the promotion of onions. "Back in those days the onion industry also took part in Gulfood. The first steps were made at that time. After this, the traders started to develop their individual activities, but this year we chose for the collective promotion again. On one side my intention is to promote the onions, show how the Dutch onion trade works and what we can do when it comes to export, preservation and transport. The bottom line is that we can export worldwide and meet any demand. On the other side it is also my intention to collect and register trade requests. Through conversations you can learn a lot about companies and the trade requests are sent directly to the traders after the fair. This way the traders can decide for themselves what to do with it."
Top right: Madelinde Daane, Hans van der Beek (from the Dutch Agriculture Council) and consul-general Rob de Leeuw.
Bottom left: Onions of different varieties in a supermarket in the Middle East.
A mix of nationalities
We don't know the figures for 2014 yet, but in 2013 there were 4,200 participants from 87 different countries with in total 1,100 stands. At that time there were 77,600 trade professionals from 152 countries. According to Madeline the number of nationalities in 2014 was certainly comparable to last year. "It is not just a typical fair for the United Arab Emirates, it is truly a world fair. There will be a mix of visitors from the surrounding area and the rest of the Middle East. Additionally, a lot from Pakistan and India. All countries from overseas were represented. I found it surprising that people from West Africa were here, mainly from Senegal and Guinea. The African visitors normally go to the UAE because they do not need a visa to go there, making it easier for them compared to travelling to Europe. Dubai is an important place and this fair is a highlight. We believe it is the Fruit Logistica of UAE, because here also, a vast group of traders come together.
Figures from the association show that in the 2012/2013 season a total of 1,013,861 tonnes of onions were exported, of which around 3100 tonnes went to the United Arab Emirates. But the export to all the countries mentioned amounted to at least 200,000 tonnes. So it is not just all about the UAE".
India present in abundance
Madeline indicates that onions are certainly going to this area. "But it is tricky, because here you will be up against onions from India. There are also a lot of Indian people living in Dubai, they have family in India for example and are trading their products. This creates a challenge for the Dutch trade given that these families are often very large and financially easier when it comes to credit etc. What they are starting to realise here in the meantime is that the Dutch onion is of better quality. Everyone that came to our stand gave us an enormous amount of compliments about the appeal and quality, this is really nice. Automatically they think these onions will be more expensive but this is of course all depending on the market situation. In the Middle-East they are used to a kind of pink, light red onion. The red onions were also viewed here but they were also certainly open to the yellow ones. Most important for this market is the quality and linked to this is the price."
Relation
When asked if it is difficult to do business in the Middle-East, Madeline answered that you certainly have to win their trust. "Building a relationship is very important here. So far it is not difficult because there are no complex standards you would not be able to understand. Visiting on a regular bases and having mutual respect are the most important building blocks".