World-class Agrifood innovation at Expo

Inayat-ur-Rahman, Gulf Today

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), home to the city of Sydney, showcased its world-class Agrifood innovation and manufacturing capabilities in an effort to further strengthen its ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The event was led by the newly appointed NSW Senior Trade Commissioner to India and the Middle East, Vish Padmanabhan and Moin Anwar, NSW Trade and Investment Commissioner for UAE and highlighted NSW’s prominent companies in agtech, food & beverages and prime investment opportunities.

The event marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NSW and the UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group (FBMG), further cementing NSW’s commitment to the region and creating future sector opportunities between the two parties.

Chairman of the UAE FBMG,  Saleh Lootah said the MoU marks a significant and inspiring shift on how the UAE and NSW will work together.

“In a rapidly changing market landscape, the ways of working need to be different than before. We must become more agile, flexible and relevant to the new reality. We will proactively join hands to bring food and beverage manufacturers from UAE and NSW together to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.”

 Padmanabhan also echoed the sentiment of collaboration in his address. “Between the effects of the pandemic and climate change, the need for innovation and collaboration in food security has never been more critical.”

“NSW has a long-standing reputation for high-quality, safe and sustainable food and beverage products, established freight networks and advanced research and manufacturing capabilities. There is no better time for NSW to go global,” Padmanabhan said.

The event also saw six NSW companies pitched their businesses to the buyers, investors, distributors and retailers present in the audience.