Sharjah Food Festival inaugurated at Expo Centre Sharjah

The exhibition was inaugurated by H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Ragabani, UAE's Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, the Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mr. Mubarak Balaswad, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, board members of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, directors of various government departments, members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations, heads of the participating exhibitors and delegation of international and regional businessmen.

Speaking on UAE's food industry, Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry said, ' The UAE now ranks fifth among Arab farm exporters, second in imports and is the foremost regional country in per capita share of the agricultural sector. Its farm exports totalled around US $ 1.59 billion in 2001, covering vegetable and fruit, cereal, meat, eggs, dairy and other products.

'Despite the country's commendable performance in farm exports,' Mr. Midfa pointed out, 'the UAE remains among the top Arab food importers as a large part of these imports are re-exported to other countries. UAE's farm imports were valued at nearly US $ 2.9 billion in 2001,' he concluded.

After the ribbon-cutting, H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Ragabani and the other VIPs toured the exhibition which has attracted some of UAE's leading names in a wide range of food products. These include the Sharjah Co-operative Society, Tiffany, Al Rawabi, Al Rawdah, Al Khaleej Processed Products, Al Salwa, Lipton, Aseel, Amul Butter, Barakat (fruit juices), Golden Corn, Knorr, London Dairy, Nawar, Safi, Sanfaz (Spices & pickles) and many more. It also has international participation, including country pavilions from India and Armenia.

The show's profile includes fresh, frozen and packed food products, health foods, edible oils, dairy products, confectionery, beverages, spices, grains, cereals, etc. 'Sharjah Food Festival is not just another event with sampling and special offers of the latest food products. The exhibition will be a week of fun, activities, learning and prizes for the entire family,' said Mr. Mubarak Balaswad, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah. 'We have strategically timed the Festival a couple of weeks before Ramadan, a period when demand for food and related products increases by as much as 10 to 15 per cent. Also, buying starts approximately ten to fifteen days before the holy month.

'Bringing UAE's major food brands offering special show promotions under one roof, the event will be a one-stop shopping opportunity for the general public. A lagoon-side food court featuring traditional and modern cuisines will give visitors an open-air dining experience. At the same time for the participating companies, the event will act as an effective platform for sampling and launching their new products, boosting their brand image and gaining consumer feedback,' he added.

Award-winning chefs of UAE's five star hotels will present their unique recipes in daily changing cooking demonstrations to the visitors. Five new demonstrations will be given each day, one each by the participating hotels.

Adding on to the educational element, an informative seminar on health will be presented everyday by Nutrition & Health magazine at 5 pm. Today, Dr. Mohammed Sabet Salahia will speak on 'Beauty and Plastic Surgery.'

Through their visit, show attendees also have the chance to win fabulous prizes, including dinner vouchers of five star hotels and valuable food hampers. The daily raffle draw will be conducted at 10.30 pm everyday.

The show will be open to the general public from 4:30 pm to 11:00 pm everyday from 12 to 17 October 2003. All set to bring in thousands of food lovers under one roof, it is sure
to be one memorable, exciting experience for everyone.