Chilean blueberry exporters seek new opportunities in Dubai
It is the first mission of this country that comes to the emirate to contact importers, distributors, wholesalers and retail chains.
In order to generate new contacts with importers, distributors, wholesale markets and retail chains, the Committee of Blueberries of Chile, entity that operates under the umbrella of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile AG (ASOEX), carried out its first mission to Dubai, the economic capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On the occasion, the national delegation - composed of the Executive Director of the Blueberry Committee, Andrés Armstrong; ASOEX Marketing Director for Asia and Europe, Charif Christian Carvajal; the Commercial Attaché of ProChile in UAE, Sharif Chacoff; and representatives of Chilean blueberry export companies - toured the wholesale market in Dubai, retail chains, holding key meetings with importers and distributors of fresh fruits from this market.
Las actividades en el Emirato de Dubái comenzaron con una reunión con el Agregado Comercial de ProChile en EAU, Sharif Chacoff, quien durante el encuentro entregó detalles sobre el mercado y el potencial para los arándanos chilenos. En este sentido, Chacoff destacó que las características desérticas del Medio Oriente lo hacen altamente dependiente a los alimentos importados, y principalmente, los perecederos como la fruta fresca. «If we consider the group of 6 member countries of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait) who import the 90% of their food, they have greater stability in the region to do business and an average per capita GDP higher than the rest of the Arab countries (USD 72.000), we can understand the opportunities that this region gives to Chile in fruit matter, since most of the Chilean competitors are in a contra-season, with the exception of from South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina«, puntualizó.
Asimismo, el profesional agregó que si bien la demanda de frutas es continúa, durante todo el año, ésta crece en Ramadam, «pues las frutas son, especialmente adecuadas para romper el ayuno diario del mundo musulmán», explicó. El representante de ProChile también destacó la necesidad de hacer presencia en el mercado. «Los negocios a distancia resultan muy poco efectivos, más aun si no hay aranceles preferenciales para ningún país (0% para todos los proveedores). Cultivar la relación de confianza y entender la dinámica del mercado, pasa a ser relevante no solo para la prospección comercial, sino para la mantención de los negocios, en un mercado donde los márgenes no abundan. Por ello esta misión es vital«, puntualizó.
En ese mismo sentido, Andrés Armstrong, Director Ejecutivo del Comité de Arándanos puntualizó: «As a Committee, our goal is to open new markets, diversify channels and deliver greater opportunities to exporters, therefore, during this visit what we strengthened was the approach with importers, distributors, and retailers, as well as the delivery of information about our blueberries , its characteristics and availability«.
«We have completed a hectic and comprehensive agenda in Dubai, where we have met with importers of the Al Aweer Wholesale Market of fresh fruit and representatives of national retail chains such as Spinneys and Lulu, which have the capacity to import fresh blueberries, directly«, agregó Armstrong.
Por su parte, Charif Christian Carvajal comentó: «Emiratos is an interesting and growing market in terms of blueberry consumption, especially conventional, as the organic cranberry market is still very incipient. In addition, it is a market focused on quality and price, therefore, today importers are looking for the best price-quality ratio in blueberries. Then, establishing relations of approach with importers is vital for our blueberries, and in this context we met with the directors of one of the main importers of fresh fruits and vegetables of Dubai.«.
Carvajal added that during the meetings three were the key messages of the national industry. First, highlighting the contra station of the Chilean supply, and therefore, complementary to the imports that the Emirates makes of this fruit, especially from the United States and Canada. A second point was to reveal the history of Chile as a global supplier of fresh fruits, which places it as the world's leading exporter in fruits such as blueberries, table grapes and cherries, as well as the largest exporter of fresh fruits in the southern hemisphere. A third highlight was the industry's commitment to emerging markets, such as the United Arab Emirates.
It should be noted that the delegation will continue to travel to New Delhi and Mumbai, where it will also hold meetings with importers, distributors and retail.
Source: SimFruit
ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS
