Northern Ireland Exports Over £22M Of Food And Drink To The GCC In 2022

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, February 16, 2023 /einpresswire.com / -- Northern Ireland exported over £22M of food and drink to the GCC in 2022, a 16% year-on-year increase from 2021. The figures demonstrate how Northern Ireland's global reputation for premium produce, coupled with best-in-class food traceability and food security, makes the country's produce a firm favourite for consumers and restaurateurs across the region.

The release of the figures comes as Northern Ireland prepares to exhibit at Gulfood 2023, the largest annual food and beverage sourcing event. The country's 16th consecutive participation at the trade show will see a range of its food and drink companies take part in the exhibition, which runs from 20 – 24 February at Dubai World Trade Centre.

The businesses ranging from seafood, cereal, dairy and private-label bakery products through to food tech solutions, will showcase the world-class Food and Drink offering from Northern Ireland. The region's progressive agri-food sector and enterprising producers have been key to its successful export growth to the GCC and over 70 countries worldwide, with an industry worth £5.4 billion to the economy.

According to the latest statistics, the total export of goods from Northern Ireland to the GCC countries is £137M, of which 16% of these exports are from food and drink sector; the beverage category makes up the largest proportion of exports at £4.6M, followed by Cereal products with £2.9M, and Dairy products with £2M.

Commenting on Northern Ireland companies' attendance at Gulfood this year, Scott Hanna, Senior Business Development Manager at Invest Northern Ireland – UAE, Oman, and Bahrain, said:“The GCC offers huge potential for world-famous Northern Ireland food and drink. With some of the world's top dining experiences present in the region, it remains a core market for dairy, seafood, beverages and raw ingredients targeting both the high-end retail and food service sectors.”

He added:“The UAE has established itself as a global destination for fine dining, and we are seeing particular success for our food and drink companies with regional consumers seeking out more of our best-loved premium Northern Ireland brands. All of this is supported by the export figures, which show that the GCC in general and the UAE specifically have become key markets for Northern Ireland companies.”

Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI), the regional economic development body for Northern Ireland, is committed to working collaboratively with key partners in the food and drink industry to help Northern Ireland companies trade more effectively in the region. By doing so, the entity supports businesses to increase turnover, fuel greater prosperity, and realise their ambitious growth plans.

Invest NI's stand will be located in Sheikh Saeed Hall 1, Stand S1-B34 at Gulfood 2023 taking place in the World Trade Centre, Dubai from February 20 – 24.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The companies which will comprise the Northern Ireland Pavilion at Gulfood 2023 include:
-Foods Connected cloud-based solutions innovate and transform food supply chain processes, helping improve efficiency, minimise risk, streamline key processes and boost profitability. Their tools cover 8 core areas: Food Safety & Quality, CSR, Procurement & Supply Chain, Reporting & Analytics, Specifications & NPD, Supplier Compliance and Traceability.
-Crust and Crumb Bakery operate from four BRC“AA” approved production facilities in the UK (Northern Ireland) and Europe (Republic of Ireland), with one dedicated Gluten/Vegan Free production site. They are Ireland's largest manufacturer of chilled pizza along with an extensive range of ambient, chilled and frozen flatbread products. Crust & Crumb Specialise in private label Pizza, Pizza Bases, Naan Breads, Pitta Breads, Garlic Flatbreads and Tortilla Wraps and currently export to the UAE market.
-Greenfields Ireland Ltd is an international dairy trading company supplying dairy ingredients, specialist milk products and finished dairy products to customers throughout Europe, the Middle East, South America, Far East and Africa. The company sources an extensive range of products including Butter, AMF, Milk powders and a range of cheeses on a worldwide basis. They offer dairy products solutions to a wide range of industrial buyers/distributors of Industrial, Catering and Retail Dairy products.
-White's Oats produce a range of porridge oats and oat-based cereals from Organic Jumbo Oats to granolas and Toasted Oats which have won over 50 Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Food over several consecutive years within the luxury breakfast cereal category (including best in category double gold).
-Rooney Fish, a family-owned company located at the harbour of Kilkeel, has been involved in the export of sea products since 1975. The business currently employs 35 workers on full-time and part-time basis and is one of only 3 main processors in Northern Ireland. The products processed include Fresh Frozen Cooked whole prawns, scampi tails, king scallops' whelks and all variants of crab. The company has a well-established Oyster farm producing award-winning oysters exported throughout Europe.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Nabeel S. Khouri
Regional Marketing and Communications Manager – IMEA
Invest Northern Ireland

Mob: +971 56 161 5113

FTI Consulting for Invest Northern Ireland

Tel: + 971 50 165 8989

About Invest Northern Ireland
Invest NI is the regional economic development agency for Northern Ireland. Our role is to grow the local economy by helping new and existing business to compete internationally and by attracting new investment to Northern Ireland. In the IMEA Region, we have International Business Offices in Dubai, Jeddah, Doha, Cairo, Johannesburg, and Mumbai.

Invest NI's International Business Offices help Northern Ireland companies to increase exports, develop international collaborations and seek new investment, bringing greater prosperity to this part of the United Kingdom.

Shane Dolan
FTI Consulting

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