Dubai: Agra Middle East 2013 opened on Tuesday by Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, the UAE Minister of Health.
Over 200 exhibitors from 30 countries worldwide showcased their agriculture and poultry related products, ranging from animal feed and vitamins to fruits and vegetables, organic fertilisers, and greenhouse building materials.
Some of the major participants include Al Dahra, Gulf Feed, and Iffco.
The Agribusiness Support Fund (ASF) in Pakistan has brought a number of exporters to exhibit their products, consisting of fruits and vegetables, among others.
“We are bringing individual exporters to the exhibition so that they can find distributors for their products to this market,” said Mohammad Ali Yazdani, regional program manager at ASF.
“The climate can effect what food products can grow in an area. So we give the farmers [greenhouse] tunnels to control the temperature to ensure that product can grow in that area,” he said.
Al Busath, based in Al Ain, sells multi-layered greenhouses, which helps boost production by 95 per cent, said Ali Mohammad Asif, business developer at the company.
“The layers help control climate, humidity and pressure,” Asif said.
Meanwhile, Italy-based Agrinova is showcasing tents, which functions almost like a greenhouse and provides 70 per cent of shade for the plants — they hope to bring their product to the local market.
“With this product, you can have bigger fruits that are less stressed, while using less water,” said Pierluigi Ferrario, CEO at the company.
The three day event aims to increase awareness on food security, which will be discussed during the Agribusiness Outlook Forum and the Middle East Horticultural Summit, both taking place on Tuesday, as well as food safety during the Poultry Outlook Forum on Thursday.
