French agrifood exports to the United Arab Emirates increased significantly in 2011 (January-November), with a €206 M turnover and a 31% rise compare to the same period in 2010 . France is the 15th food supplier of the U.A.E. Historically French exports to the Middle East were essentially made up of poultry and dairy products. Since a few years, French producers are offering a diversity of products, with also significant exports of apples, biscuits and chocolates, fine products like foie gras, oysters, caviar, tapenades, dips, condiments, mineral water and other beverages…   This growth is in line with the expanding Middle Eastern food service market as it continues to develop rapidly due to a rising population, purchasing power, and a strong hospitality sector. 90% of food items in the GCC are imported and French food products benefit from an excellent reputation (image and quality) in the Middle East.   Moreover, Dubai has a strategic position in the region and is a real trade hub. About 50% of food imports are re-exported to 160 countries including the Gulf countries, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa and East and Central Asia. Therefore, Dubai is one of the largest re-exporters in the world thanks to its efficient infrastructures (ports and airports) associated with large free trade zones.   Both agriculture and the agrifood industry are huge assets of the French economy, making France one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of food and beverages. Agriculture and food industries in France account for about 13% of the value-added of French industry as a whole. This industry employs 557,000 and generates a value-added of €31.7 billion. The agrifood sector in France is the leading industrial sector with a €148bn turnover. It accounts for 1.7% of French GDP and 7.1% of total French exports.   France is also the 5th largest exporter of equipment for the food industry , and is therefore among the leading global providers. France’s strength is its presence on all major food industry markets, especially with French companies exporting machines and equipment for bakeries, milk and meat industries. For instance, France is the first supplier of bakery equipment in the U.A.E with 21% market shares. In 2011 (January-November), French exports of food equipment in the U.AE increased by 20% compare to the same period in 2010 and reached €6 million.   As a consequence, it is not a surprise if France’s presence at Gulfood 2012 will be very strong with almost 100 French exhibitors on our national pavilion: 53 companies will attend the French pavilion dedicated to food, beverages and ingredients while more than 44 will attend the French Pavilion dedicated to equipment and process. And we do not mention the dozens of French companies exhibiting on their own or with their importers. Gulfood for French companies is essential to develop their business in the region. Since its creation, France has not missed a single edition of Gulfood and over the years the French presence has kept growing. Our counterparts from Ubifrance India and Saudi Arabia will join us to participate at Gulfood this year and organize B2B meetings between French companies and importers from these countries.   Last but not least, the French Trade Commission-UBIFRANCE in the United Arab Emirates launched “So French So Good” to promote France’s food-and-drink sector and gastronomy. The successful dinner has been organized at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach, the 25th October 2011, in conjunction with the French pavilion held at the Speciality Food Festival. We will renew our exclusive event next November.   According to François Sporrer, Director of Ubifrance UAE & Qatar: “With Gulfood as a worldwide event and Speciality Food Festival as an exciting show dedicated to gourmet products, DWTC provides a comprehensive and very efficient platform for food professionals. Therefore, we will undoubtedly increase the French participation on both events in the coming years”.   Press Contact: Tarek SOLIMANE Head of the press office French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE (UAE & Qatar) tarek.solimane@ubifrance.fr Mobile: +971 50 708 24 69   

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The French Trade Commission-UBIFRANCE in the United Arab Emirates launched “So French So Good” to promote France’s food-and-drink sector and gastronomy. The exclusive dinner has been organized at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach, the 25th October 2011, in conjunction with the French pavilion held at the Speciality Food Festival. Almost 120 people attended the event and had the opportunity to enjoy high quality French food products thanks to our partners Classic Fine Foods, Chef Middle East, JM Foods and MMI. Chefs, F&B Managers, food importers, local Authorities, local farms and groups tasted Marennes d’Oléron oysters (Dublaix), Sarrade foie gras, Mons cheeses, Caviar & Prestige, Pains & Tradition, Evian, Valrhona chocolate, Moet & Chandon… The General Consul of France also invited his counterparts while the Alliance Française of Dubai promoted the artist Tristan Rondet who exhibits at Sofitel. The French exhibitors at the Speciality Food Festival had the opportunity to continue their discussions with local importers and chefs they met at the show, thanks to B2B meetings organized by the French Trade Commission-UBIFRANCE. French agrifood exports to the Middle East (including Egypt) increased significantly in 2010, with a €1.525bn turnover and a 45% rise compare to 2009. The three major markets in the region for French food & beverage exports are Egypt with 36%, KSA (25%) and the UAE (13%). If we consider only the GCC, KSA and UAE are the main markets with 59% of the market.     About So French So Good www.sofrenchsogood.com : So French So Good is a worldwide campaign on the initiative of Pierre LELLOUCHE, the French Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, with the support of the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Rural Development and Territorial Planning. The United Arab Emirates has been chosen among 12 countries as Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. This project follows upon the registration of the "French gourmet meal" at the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, in November 2010. According to the United Nation’s cultural organization, French meals play an important social role and are part of the French identity. About UBIFRANCE www.ubifrance.com/ae : UBIFRANCE, the French agency for international business development, comes under the aegis of France’s Ministry for the Economy, Industry & Employment. UBIFRANCE lies at the heart of France’s public-sector export support framework. With 66 offices in 46 countries, UBIFRANCE offers a comprehensive range of products and services to help French-based companies develop their export. We handle: knowledge-based products and services, from business information to consultancy & monitoring services; helping companies to develop their international strategy; promotional operations in order to foster their partnerships with foreign companies.  

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Held deep in the heart of Languedoc-Roussillon, France’s leading organic winegrowing region, MILLESIME BIO is a business crossroads putting the spotlight on dialogue and exchanges through a host of conferences and self-serve sampling corners. From now on, the trade fair will be exclusively open to certified organic wines (converted wines are no longer accepted). From January 23rd to 25th, over 600 exhibitors hailing from fifteen countries or so and about 3,200 visitors will be expected in Montpellier. This kind of success confirms the growing passion for organic products.   Strictly reserved for exhibitors certified as organic and coming from all countries and wine-producing regions, and exclusively open to professional buyers, MILLESIME BIO aims at gathering producers from the world over to taste and sample quality wines made from organic farming. Created in 1993 by a handful of winegrowers in Languedoc-Roussillon, MILLESIME BIO brings together every year the world’s leading wine buyers: wholesalers, brokers, wine merchants, sommeliers, catering establishments, importers etc.   The trade fair is the scene of a host of events intended to foster discovery, dialogue and conviviality: self-serve sampling corners, the awarding of diplomas for the “Millésime Bio Challenge" contest, as well as conferences about organic wine and world markets. The “Winegrowers Gala”, featuring an organic cocktail enjoyed to music, and the tasting of wines that received awards at the contest, is also a highlight that illustrates the conviviality found throughout the trade fair.   Last year’s MILLESIME BIO had gathered 560 exhibitors and 3,200 professional visitors, 21.5% of which were foreign.    The "Millésime Bio Challenge" contest: a showcase for excellence A worldwide competition intended to give exposure to the quality of wines made from organic farming, it has been held yearly since 2008 to reward the best organic wines. This year, the jury made of wine professionals will be tasting close to 800 samples. The diplomas will be officially awarded during the January 24th winegrower’s cocktail, where a bar will be especially arranged to help all present taste the winning wines.    Key figures from the French organic wines market: With over 50,000 hectares under organic production mode in France in 2010 against 39,000 hectares in 2009, organic vine growing rose by 28%. The amount of winegrowing farms was up 30% from 3,024 in 2009 to 3,945 in 2010. 3 French regions are among the front runners: Languedoc-Roussillon (16,462 hectares, up 30% over one year), followed by the Provence-Côte d’Azur Region (11,209 hectares, up 25% over one year) and Aquitaine (7,715 hectares, up 41% over one year). On a global scale, France makes a good showing, coming third after Spain and Italy.   For more information: www.millesime-bio.com  

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SOPARCO will exhibit at the International Plants Expo Middle East 2011 (IPM) at the Airport Expo in Dubai ( Stand No B21 ) from September, Monday 26th to Wednesday 28th, 2011. Created in 1950, the French company is specialized in the manufacturing of plastic containers and bio-materials for the horticulture industry, gardens and nurseries. The French Industrial Group offers over 1,500 references. For more information regarding this company, please have a look at the attached document.

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The French Pavilion will bring together 9 businesses, to permit international cuisine and restaurant services professionals to discover French products and know-how. Foie gras, traditionally-prepared breads, chocolates and sweets, biscuits, vanilla, prunes, truffle,... so many French products and destinations to experience and enjoy!   The success of the previous edition of The Speciality Food Festival encourages France to renew its participation in this show. The 9 exhibitors, coming from Paris and different regions of France (Provence, Burgundy, Basque country, Corsica…), will not only showcase a profusion of products but will also offer to the visitors an opportunity to taste and enjoy the French products in many healthy and flavorful ways. The exhibitors’ products will be used to cook both French and local recipes, demonstrating how they can be easily prepared and revealing how perfectly suited they are for international cuisine in the Chef’s corner.   UBIFRANCE aims at supporting French companies, especially small and medium ones, to come and find distributors in the UAE and the Middle East in general. The two main markets in the region for French products are KSA and the UAE, who together represent 50% of this turnover. French food exports to the Middle East greatly benefit from both their excellent reputation as well as from the increase of global consumption in the region where a taste for western-style products is growing and where the restaurant and fine-dining sector is thriving.   The agrifood industry is huge asset of the French economy, making France one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of food and beverages. Agriculture and food industries in France account for about 13% of the value-added of French industry as a whole. This industry employs 557,000 and generates a value-added of €31.7 billion. The agrifood sector in France is the leading industrial sector with a €148bn turnover. It accounts for 1.7% of French GDP and 7.1% of total French exports.   In November 2010, the French "repas gastronomique" (gourmet meal) was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. According to the United Nation’s cultural organization, French meals play an important social role and are part of the French identity. Thus, France has launched this year a promotional campaign about food and gastronomy in some key countries around the world, including the U.A.E.   The French exhibitors are:   CASTAING , foie gras, confits, magrets, sauces, truffles juice from the Landes, www.castaing-foiegras.com   CHOCOLATERIE DE PUYRICARD , chocolate and calissons maker from Provence, www.puyricard.fr   GOURMET AND CO , prunes and gourmet products made from prunes from Corsica, www.gourmetandco.fr   KREEK’S , family-run business established in Vendée, specialized in dried fruits and snacks, www.kreeks.fr  Their products are imported in the UAE by RUNGIS FOOD STUFF , www.emiratesfinefoods.com   LOUISE BON , lentils, “sablés” and other fine food products made in the Champagne region, www.louisebon.com   PAINS & TRADITION , family of millers and bakers (father and son since 1732) from Lorraine, www.pains-tradition.com   MAISON BOISSIER , confectioner and chocolate maker established in 1827, from Paris, www.maisonboissier.com   RELAIS GOURMET , Halal certified foie gras and terrines from Basque country, www.relaisgourmet.com   VANILLE DE TAHITI , vanilla from French Polynesia, www.vanilledetahiti.pf   The latest edition of The Speciality Food Festival, in 2010, hosted 1,931 visitors from 39 countries (80% UAE, 20% international audience).   Please find attached the presentation of the French Exhibitors.  

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  The Dubai Metro Green Line will open on September 9, making the driverless rail system the world’s longest. The new line has 18 stations over 23 kilometres and covers some of the emirate’s busiest tourist segments along the Creek, crowded residential areas, business districts and ministry offices. Transport officials anticipate the number of passengers will double to 270,000 a day. The launch is part of the Roads and Transport Authority’s strategic plan to improve infrastructure, integrate roads and transit systems, boost use of public transport and ensure smooth mobility, said Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and the RTA’s executive director. The Green Line will open exactly two years to the day after the launch of the Red Line. Fifty trains will operate on both lines at peak times and 28 off-peak, at a frequency of six to eight minutes.

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Planemaker Airbus will exceed its forecast for orders from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region this year, helped by deals to be finalised at the Dubai Air Show in November, a senior executive said. Airbus, which had expected orders for 90 planes, will end the year with a "triple-digit order book", said Habib Fekih, the European planemaker’s president for Middle East. Qatar Airways may be one of the airlines to place orders at the Dubai Air Show, Fekih told Reuters in an interview. "Discussions with Qatar Airways are underway and it is a continuous process. Yes, they could announce something.... a small number of aircraft here or there," he said. The Doha-based carrier had been expected to buy five A380s and 50 A320neo narrowbody airplanes at the Paris Air Show in June, but instead ordered six aircraft from US competitor Boeing. Fekih said the company was currently not in discussions with other regional carriers like Emirates and Eithad Airways. Airlines in the Middle East account for about 9.5 per cent of Airbus’s orders, making it a key market for the plane maker. The region, which has some of the youngest fleet in the world, represents 15 per cent of the firm’s backlog. EU DEBT The Europe debt crisis and the faltering US economy have held back global clients struggling to get loans for payment, said Fekih, but said the impact was limited. "Maybe some alliance could have immediate difficulty during the coming weeks or months to have access to loans...but this will be very limited," he said, adding that this has not had much impact in the Mena region. Airbus’ sales chief John Leahy said earlier this month that he expected aircraft production to be flat or slightly higher in the event of another global economic downturn.

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