10th edition of MENOPE 2012 rides high on rising retail growth prospects for organic products

In a statement issued by the organizers, Global Links LLC, the growth in the regional $300m organic product market is being driven primarily by the food segment in the GCC with the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading the growth.

"We believe that the overall market is larger than this if we take into account the rising consumption of organic and natural cosmetics which is estimated to be growing at 20% a year," said Eng. Nadim Al Fuqaha, Managing Director Global Links.

Elaborating on MENOPE 2012, he said the rising potential of the regional market for organic and natural products has attracted over 100 exhibitors from 25 countries this year to the annual exhibition.

"Growth of natural and organic trade in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has picked up momentum every year and the prospects for growth have entered a strong and promising phase as more and more consumers aware of health benefits take to these products," added Al Fuqaha.

Quoting a Euromonitor study, he said, "Over the last decade the growth graph of organic products, particularly in the food and beverage sector, has been on an ascendance every consecutive year. In 2002, the organic food and beverage uptake in the MENA was just over $11m, which has now topped over $70m and is poised to grow to some $120m by 2017."

"The first few years of the decade the pickup in trade was slow and gradual, but towards the latter half of the decade, trade began to grow at a volatile pace with some years posting over 40% growth. This indicates that the prospects for natural and organic products hold tremendous promise for the trade," Mr. Fuqaha said.

He said the prospects of increasing population resulting in a rise in food consumption will also help the growth of organic food products. According to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), population in the GCC is expected to cross the 50-million mark from the current 40.6 million, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% during 2011-2015. During the period food consumption per capita is also expected to rise at a CAGR of 2.1%.

MENOPE 2012 will run for three days between November 27-29 2012 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is expected that over 10,000 trade visitors from across the region and the Indian Subcontinent would visit then expo looking for deals and business opportunities. The expo is endorsed by Dubai Municipality, UAE Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment and Water and the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority. It is supported by International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Korea Health Supplement Association (KHSA), Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines (CHIPI) and International Competence Centre for Agriculture.

MENOPE 2012 has significant country pavilion participation as well at MENOPE 2012 from Germany, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, USA, Italy, Romania, Spain and the UAE.

In line with its mandate to promote natural and organic product trade and awareness, MENOPE 2012 will also have seminars on healthy diet organised by the not-for-profit body, MEVEG and on alternative medicines.

The participating countries in MENOPE 2012 include the UAE, Italy, United States, United Kingdom, India, Germany, Belgium, China and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, among others.

MENOPE 2011 will showcase a variety of products spanning across Herbals and Spices, Food & Beverages, Cereal Products, Supplements, Health Care products, Natural Living, Natural Cosmetics, Healing Products, Natural remedies, Traditional Medicines, Spas, Relaxation facilities, Pet products and Fabrics.