Welcome to the German Pavilion at Gulfood Manufacturing 2015!

For the second time an official German Pavilion is set up at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai, where 121 German exhibitors are presenting on more than 2,000 sqm their products and services as well as current trends to the food processing and packaging industry.

The rising population is one of the key drivers for a rising food and beverage consumption. Currently there are more than 50 million people living in the GCC countries. It is projected that this will increase by 12 per cent between 2014 and 2019 to reach 57.6 million. A large share of young people, rising disposable incomes and the growing spread of modern retail are also boosting the demand for processed and packaged food and beverages. Urban lifestyles have raised the standards of living and changed the eating patterns, resulting in a shift to a protein riche diet as well as modern processed food and convenience food products.

As the region is highly dependent on imports there is a need for an advanced food processing industry. The GCC countries have invested much in their industries in the last few years. To satisfy the rising demand and to become less dependent on imports of processed food they will invest further to expand their food processing industry. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the hubs for processed foods in the GCC region, other member nations are also investing in developing their processing capabilities.

The rising demand for processed and packaged food and beverages is reflected in the continuously growing import figures for state-of-the-art food processing and packaging machinery. In 2014 the GCC countries imported machinery worth 945 million Euros, which is a plus of 16 per cent compared with the previous year. Germany is one of the most important trading partners for this kind of machinery. The German exports of food processing and packaging machinery to the GCC countries amounted 185 million Euros in 2014, which is an increase of 26 per cent compared with 2013. During the first 5 months of 2015 German exports to the GCC achieved a volume of 67 million Euros.

Visiting the German Pavilion at Gulfood Manufacturing 2015 will afford the companies an excellent opportunity the meet the leading German manufacturers and supplier of food processing and packaging machinery and to learn about the latest trends and developments.

The Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi), Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) and VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association wish you a productive and enjoyable visit of Gulfood Manufacturing 2015 in Dubai.