The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) displayed its agri-food innovation and manufacturing capabilities to strengthen further its ties with the UAE at a dinner event held at the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The event was led by Vish Padmanabhan, NSW Senior Trade Commissioner to India and the Middle East, and Moin Anwar, NSW Trade and Investment Commissioner for UAE.
They highlighted NSW’s prominent companies in agtech, food & beverages and prime investment opportunities.
The event marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NSW and the UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group (FBMG).
This further cements NSW’s commitment to the region and creating future sector opportunities between the two parties.
Chairman of the UAE FBMG, Saleh Lootah, said the MoU marks a significant and inspiring shift on how the UAE and NSW will work together.
“We will proactively join hands to bring food and beverage manufacturers from UAE and NSW together to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes,” he said.
Padmanabhan said, “Between the effects of the pandemic and climate change, the need for innovation and collaboration in food security has never been more critical.”
The event also saw six NSW companies pitched their businesses to the buyers, investors, distributors and retailers present in the audience.
Selected via competitive qualifying events, the three agritech companies and three food and beverage companies were assisted by NSW Government to produce professional videos to support their pitch at the dinner event.
Along with increasing its export and commercial footprint in the Middle East, NSW is increasingly attracting overseas investment in dedicated agribusiness and freight precincts.