Johannesburg - According to the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), South African entrepreneurs who participated in the Gulfood Exhibition, which concluded last week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have recorded over 4 000 promising trade leads that they hope will soon generate tangible deals.
In a statement by the DTIC, 16 agro-processing companies, including the South African Fruit and Vegetable Canners Export Council, showcased their products in a national pavilion that was set up by the DTIC.
The DTIC said the main objective of the support provided by the DTIC through the Export Marketing and Investment Assistance Scheme was to create a platform for these companies to develop export markets for their products.
The department said: “The founder of Makhamisa Foods and a Black Industrialists Programme beneficiary, Terence Leluma, who manufactures unique chilli-based condiments, was part of the SA delegation. According to him, the show was good and his company’s products received huge interest from countries such as Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India, and African countries such as Malawi and Kenya.”
Leluma said the UAE market received their products well and believed the products deserved to be on the global food industry platform.
"We met a number of prospective clients and secured strong leads. We will be back for follow-up meetings in a month or two. We are excited to have forged these relations. Dubai is the centre of trade, and I am honoured to have been offered the opportunity to fly the South African flag high in this part of the world and take our products to the global market," said Leluma.
The founder and chief executive officer of Naturezone, Peter Foulis, described his participation in the show as remarkable.
"We have received quality enquiries and leads. We are expecting great things to follow as we follow up on these leads. We appointed three agents at the show for the UAE, Russia, and India. Our neighbouring countries, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia, have also shown interest in our drinks," said Foulis.
Project manager of RFG Foods, Thasha Thaver, said her stand received hundreds of visitors, with a lot of interest from the Middle East and Africa.
“Some existing customers came to look for new products that we have introduced,” said Thaver. “It was a great week. We have seen the value of attending the show. Being present at the trade shows has improved our turnover and offered a vehicle to create new relations. More South African companies should attend and see what the rest of the world is doing, benchmark, and continue to improve products so as to offer the customers innovative products.”
Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Fikile Majola said that South Africa’s participation in the Dubai Expo 2020 was part of SA’s efforts to revive the economy and create opportunities for inclusive growth.
He said it paved the way to further unlock opportunities by leveraging more trade events in the region, such as Gulfood, which offers a follow-through opportunity for South African firms.
The Star