47 Lebanese food companies in Dubai Expo despite numerous challenges

Some 47 food manufacturers, members of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists and Syndicate of Owners of Food Industries, took part in the 20th Gulf Food exhibition just held in Dubai’s World Trade Center. Despite the high media profiling of domestic food safety scandals, the Lebanese participants occupied an unprecedented area of 650 m2 across two pavilions in the Sheikh Rashid and Al Zabil Halls. General Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Engineer Louis Lahoud, inaugurated the Lebanese section acclaiming the large participation from his country this year which will result in boosting confidence in Lebanese food products, as per the high official’s declaration.
The President of the Food Syndicate, Munir Al Bsat, expressed his satisfaction concerning the high level of Lebanese participation as it demonstrates a regional and international confidence in the high quality of Lebanese food products. He commended the exceptional efforts made by Lebanese exhibitors who did not receive this year any concrete support from the government, while expressing his gratitude for the support from the Lebanese Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and USAID.  In a similar note, the Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb, while visiting the Lebanese pavilions referred to the imbalance in trade between Lebanon and the EAU due to the problems on the border with Syria, which he said have impeded overland exports, adding that the alternative air freight is costly and is rendering Lebanese products uncompetitive. Finally, he promised to work on resolving this matter in the near future and will aim to readdress the imbalance of trade between the two countries.
(As Safir, Al Diyar, Feb 12, 2015)