“Sea Food Expo 2009” held in Dubai, the Middle East's only exhibition dedicated to the seafood industry, has concluded on a high note recently, achieving record sales and visitors, according to Orange Fairs & Events, organizer of the event. According to statistics released by the organizer, the event generated $2.8 million worth of sales prospects for exhibitors. One of the major deals signed at the exhibition was a $1 million partnership between The Deep Seafood Co. LLC from Dubai and Mehran Seafood from Pakistan. Furthermore, the UAE-based company revealed that its participation at the event has also generated prospects worth $300,000; while the leading seafood exporter from Pakistan is expecting the new partnership to drive its goals to reach its 10 percent exports growth target for the Middle East in 2009. “'Sea Food Expo 2009' was a spectacular, one-of-a-kind exhibition in the Middle East, which provided a much needed platform for seafood industry players to meet and forge strategic partnerships,” said Hamza K, managing director, The Deep Seafood Co. LLC. “Our $1 million deal with Mehran Seafood could not have been possible if not for this event, and we are also pleased that our participation this year has seen a much better response from the seafood industry. This event has yet again proven itself as the perfect venue for highlighting various seafood products and the technology used in our manufacturing and processing cycles, which is in line with our goals to grow our exports to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Malaysia, Turkey, Korea and USA by 20 per cent.” In addition to individual companies, the event was also participated in by international delegations from leading seafood-exporting countries, including VASEP - a group comprised of 11 companies who are focused on driving Vietnam's fisheries sector by taking major strides in improving product quality, and ensuring continuous double shipments to demanding markets such as the Middle East. Driven by its goals to exceed the $1.59 million seafood exports recorded by the country to the UAE, the Department of Fisheries - Malaysia also staged an extensive participation at the event. “The demand for quality seafood products in the Middle East has seen a substantial growth over the years, and our presence at this ‘Sea Food Expo 2009' was part of our commitment to address this growing need. We have recorded close to $3.4 million in sales prospects during this year's event, which underlines the excellent opportunities in tapping the seafood market in the region. We have benefited from this platform, which served as a very effective venue to acquire and build a strong reputation in the market, and we are definitely looking forward to next year's exhibition,” said a top-rank official from the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia. Among other global umbrella organizations present were the Department of Fisheries of Thailand, China Aquatic Products Processing & Marketing Association - CAPPMA, Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers, Turkish Seafood Promotion Committee, the Canadian Sablefish Association, New Brunswick Department of Fisheries (Canada), Marine Export Promotion and Development Authority - MEPDA (India), and the Ministry of Marine Affairs, Fisheries - MOMAF (Republic of Indonesia) and Sri Lanka Export Development Board.
