AU food exporters see Dubai as gateway to Gulf market
The Australian state of Victoria leads the way in the country’s food business since it produces 24 percent of Australia’s food exports from only 3 percent of the vast country’s total landmass.
Over the years a steady marketing campaign has worked to position Australian as being of very high quality and totally natural. In the Victoria’s capital Melbourne the gourmet food scene sets a very high local standard which tests the food before its gets exported under the slogan “Clean. Green. Australian.”
This focus on quality has allowed the Australian producers to distinguish themselves in the tough Gulf markets where they are fighting producers from Europe that also have high standards but much less further to travel to get their fresh foods onto the Gulf supermarket shelves.
Iran
This country is an emerging market that has attracted specific interest as political relations have improved, with its 78 million people of whom 40 percent are young, tech savvy and sophisticated. The Victorian government sees Iran as a commodity market at first, but expects a significant potential in the longer term for higher value food products.
The Australian government has re-opened a Trade Commission in Tehran which is working with state governments like Victoria to build trade in the face of strong competition from Europe, North America and China.
“The Victorian Government is liaising closely with Austrade and is committed to the long term support of Victorian food and fibre companies interested in engaging with Iran. Iran is an exciting market which is expected to be one of the key export destinations in the MENA region for years to come,” said Brian Kearns of Trade Victoria and Kassem Younes of the Victorian Trade and Investment Office in Dubai in the Food Performance Report.
This initiative is backed by Jaala Pulford, Victoria’s Minister for Agriculture, who told Gulf News in an interview in Melbourne that “We are looking at Iran. We have a lot of interest from investors in Iran and we are exploring opportunities. We are open to bringing people together who want to do business. Our exporter are interested in going in and we have an open mind about it."
Read more at gulfnews.com
