Amin Abbas

DUBAI: The Japanese Pavilion came back for the 28th edition of Gulfood in the UAE from Feb. 20 – 24, with many Japanese participants aiming to make their products available in the region.

Supported by the Japan External Trade Organization in Dubai (JETRO), the Japanese Pavilion at Gulfood featured various foods and beverages from over 30 exhibitors, including big brands such as Kewpie, Shibanuma Soy Sauce International and Daiichi Foods.

Kenro Takahashi, Director of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Food at JETRO Dubai said: “The Japanese Pavilion has been participating in Gulfood every year.”

“The number of companies who exhibited at Japanese pavilion were 30 company this year. 21 companies had participated Gulfood 2022 under the influence of Covid-19 Pandemic. I’m glad to see more exhibitors participated in Japan pavilion comparing the previous year and we managed reducing administrative space this year in order to maximize the space allocation to the exhibitors.”

“The category of food products showcasing in the pavilion also increased from last year, which includes Seasoning, Confectionary, Tea, Rice, Health food, Processed Food, Seafood, Beverage and Beef. Some Japanese food products may not commonly known yet in this region. We have seen challenges to introduce the Japanese food products which are new to them through the online business meetings. I strongly believe that physical exhibition such as Gulfood is the best opportunity to give a good understanding of characteristics of Japanese food products,” he said.

About the overall experience for the Japanese pavilion participation at Gulfood 2023, Takahashi said:” most of exhibitors who participated at the Japanese Pavilion intend to export their products to not only to the UAE, but also to other regions including Middle East, Europe, Africa as well as Asia. In this aspect, Gulfood meets the exhibitor’s expectation to discover potential buyers from different regions and exhibitors are able to have business meetings with buyers from targeted region onsite.”

“On the other hand, Gulfood receives thousands of visitors who have different backgrounds and interests. Therefore, exhibitors had to communicate with each visitor in a time-effective manner to determine which buyer would be suitable for their products within the limited exhibition period. I’m sure that the exhibitors from Japan spent meaningful time throughout the exhibition period of Gulfood 2023,” he added.

Takahashi said the demand for Japanese ingredients is increasing, thanks to the widespread of Japanese restaurants in the region. There were businesses that sell specific seasonings that are the basis of the Japanese taste.

The 28th edition of Gulfood featured over 5000 companies from more than 125 countries, a line-up of industry thought leaders and the world’s renowned chefs all in Dubai. The next edition of Gulfood will happen next year from Feb. 19 – 23, 2024.