AHDB sets target on ME markets
"There is room for us to take a larger share of the 90% import requirements for the region (the Middle East)," explained AHDB’s halal sector manager Dr Awal Fuseini during a webinar recently held by AHDB.
"We have seen there is an appetite for UK lamb in the Middle East and we must do more to maximise on the potential opportunities it presents. One of the biggest issues faced by our exporters presently is halal certification. Not all UK based certification bodies are recognised and accredited so it is therefore vitally important that you choose your certifier wisely as, without accreditation, your products will be rejected on arrival," he stressed.
UK shipments of lamb to the Middle East increased 319% between 2018 and 2019 but that is still a small share in a regional market that imports around 90% of all beef and lamb consumed locally. According to Adil Khan, from the Department for International Trade in Dubai, the Gulf Cooperation Council is the UK’s second-largest export market outside Europe – importing more UK products than China and three-times the volumes exported to India. Inside GCC, UAE is the most lucrative market for British red meat exporters (40%), with sheep meat being the most popular red meat, accounting for more than 60% of total red meat consumption. AHDB's plans to promote the UK’s red meat offering in the Middle East include attendance at the popular food and drink trade exhibition Gulfood in February next year.
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