Leading representatives from Italy's fresh fruit and vegetable sector have helped kick off this year's Eurofruit Middle East Congress, which takes place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai on 17-19 November 2008.
At a sponsored gala reception held in the hotel, members of leading Italian fresh produce consortium Mediterranean Fruit Company (MFC, pictured below) welcomed delegates from around the world.
MFC's foreign markets manager Federico Milanese, who welcomed visitors to the event, said the meeting would offer the consortium's members a valuable opportunity to establish new business links in the region. 'The aim is to have major visibility and to increase the number of Middle Eastern contacts we have,' he added.
The annual event, which is the Middle East region's only networking andconference event for the fresh produce industry, is set to attract some 250 delegates this time around.
Dubai has grown considerably as a major hub for the fresh produce trade in the Middle East over the past few years and, despite some concerns being raised over the possible impact of the current global economic downturn, appears set to continue on that trajectory.
In fact, the city is reportedly attracting an even greater volume of fresh fruit and vegetables this year as suppliers to markets in Europe turn their attention to the Middle East, where demand from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran is also helping to sustain recent growth in imports through Dubai.
