Paddy Kerrins, Sales Manager of Tatura, with some members of the trade delegation, in front of the booth displaying dairy products from the State of Victoria, Australia.JEDDAH: Quality dairy products from the State of Victoria, Australia, will soon be available in Saudi Arabia following a series of business agreements reached between Tatura Milk Industries and Saudi food buyers and distributors, the company said in a statement Sunday. Victoria is Australia's largest food exporting state, and is known as the country's food basket. There are more than 2,000 food processing companies and goods that are valued at more than US$9 billion. Representatives from Tatura visited the Kingdom last month as part of an official Victorian food trade mission to Riyadh and Jeddah, which was organized and led by the Victorian Government Business Office (VGBO) and the Department of Business and Innovation in Dubai. Tatura Milk Industries is a well-established dairy processing company based in northern Victoria that manufactures quality Australian dairy ingredients for the global market. The company processes around 350 million liters of milk each year and 70,000 tons of manufactured products such as infant formula and nutritional powders, cream cheese, MPC and commodity skim and full cream milk powder. The company took part in the food mission to discuss the opportunities available for Victorian dairy manufactures and to understand the processes and requirements for trade arrangements. Paddy Kerrins, Sales Manager of Tatura, attended the mission and said demand for Victorian dairy ingredients is high. "The food mission was a great success for us. The Saudi Arabian retail sector for dairy presents a broad offering and provides competitive pricing, allowing for Victorian and Australian products to be featured. The buyers we met throughout our trip were very receptive to Victorian produce and supportive of the range on offer." "The initial interest we have experienced has been immense and we will continue to present our products to this market, and to ensure we cultivate a long-term relationship with this developing market place," he added. The food mission forms part of a comprehensive program of business engagement organized by the Victorian Government Business Office and the Department of Business and Innovation that provides support and guidance to Victorian exporters and assistance to Middle East and North African regional companies and organizations wishing to source products and services, business introductions and investment opportunities with Victoria. John Butler, Commissioner – MENA, State Government of Victoria, said: "The inaugural food trade mission to Saudi Arabia last month set out to introduce local businesses to the best quality produce Victoria has to offer including dairy, halal meat, wheat and related products, organic foods, and to highlight the sustainability of Victoria's food industry. There is currently around 100 Victorian food service companies exporting to the MENA region.
