As part of the market diversification strategy for Argentine beef, Argentine Beef once again participated in Gulfood, one of the most important food fairs in Muslim countries, which took place between February 17 and 21 at the World Trade Centre in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
“At the Institute we are closely monitoring the growth of halal markets, where we see great potential for exports,” said Jorge Grimberg, president of IPCVA,” he added.
For his part, Mario Ravettino, Vice President of the Institute, commented that “this fair is very important not only because it represents all the Arab Emirates and the Muslim world, but also because, given its location, it is a centre of attraction for other clients from Southeast Asia, led by China, and other countries in that part of the hemisphere.”
According to exporters, with the European market mature, the American market in full development and China fully developed, the pending issues for Argentine meat are the rest of Southeast Asia and the Arab market.
“We believe that this is a region that should help us to reduce our commercial dependence on China,” said Patricio Casiraghi, from Frigorífico Pico, who stressed that “Gulfood is a very interesting fair, growing in size, with many visitors from Asia and Africa.”
"Argentina has a great challenge here because it is a growing market. It has to have a presence and we as businessmen have to continue investing in the region," concluded the industrialist.
Argentine Beef Pavilion
For the participation in Gulfood, the IPCVA developed the classic Argentine Beef pavilion, with 200 square meters built, in which ten companies offered their products in individual spaces with a meat tasting area. The companies that accompanied the Institute were the following: Abuelo Julio, Azul Natural Beef, Ecocarnes, Frigorífico General Pico, Frigorífico Gorina, Frigorífico Rioplatense, Frimsa, Grupo Lequio, Industrias Frigoríficas Sur, Madeka and Offal Exp.
Institutional agenda
Within the framework of the fair, meetings were held with Tharwat Al-Bataineh, an official from the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates, and with the Argentine ambassador to the UAE, Jorge Molina Arambarri. Executives from Spinneys, a supermarket chain with 65 branches in the United Arab Emirates and a presence in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan and Afghanistan, among other countries, were also received.
IPCVA authorities also visited the headquarters of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and held an audience with His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Food Diversity Sector of MOCCAE. The meeting addressed topics of great interest, such as the importance of the UAE as a gateway to the Arab world, the need to enable new plants for export to the emirates and the willingness to work together to develop meat trade between Argentina and the UAE.
Chef and influencers
In parallel to business, culinary experts from the Dubai Chefs collective visited the Argentine Beeef stand at Gulfood and generated content for social media that had a great impact on the local market. Figures such as Mohammed Chabchoul, a star of Arab television with more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, and Marwan Sardouk, with 144,000 followers, were surprised by the flavour of Argentine beef. Some Latin American chefs living in Dubai also participated in the tastings, such as Brandon Morros, a specialist in cooking with fire, and Roberto Segura, a culinary consultant for restaurants and hotels in Dubai.