UAE’s Food Imports From Victoria Up 66%

Food exports from the southern Australian state of Victoria to the UAE are up 66 per cent over the last year.

John Butler, Australian Trade Commissioner in the Arab region and Turkey, said: “The quality of produce coming out of Victoria – dairy, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables – is very strong. I think we’ll continue to see significant growth.”

He was speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Put Victoria On Your Table’ dinner at Atlantis The Palm ballroom on Thursday night, which attracted more than 400 guests and promoted growing commercial links between the two regions.

One of the principal growth drivers has been the Emirates-Qantas partnership, which together operates four flights a day from Melbourne into Dubai, two on A380s.

“These figures have been building up and the Emirates-Qantas partnership will drive it even further,” added Butler. “A lot of goods are brought by seafreight but there’s increasing amount by air.”

In the 2012/13 fiscal year, regional exports from Victoria to MENA totalled AD$2.8 billion, of which AD$1.3 billion was food.

In February, 250 delegates from Victoria attended a UAE trade mission and another is planned next year. Butler said that trip alone yielded AD$200 million in business.