Russia Out to Capture Gulf’s Mid-Ranga F&B Manufacturing Sector

Russia’s leading food manufacturing solutions providers say they will soon breakthrough into the growing f&b sector of the Gulf, wider Middle East and India, where they believe they can fill a mid-range demand.

The country’s processing solution heavyweights are making their bid for a share of a Middle East and North African f&b sector predicted to grow 7.4 per cent a year to 2020, according to Euromonitor International.

Sharers in the first Russian pavilion at Gulfood Manufacturing, the Middle East’s biggest food manufacturing, processing and packaging, logistics and materials handling exhibition, which is currently underway at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), say they’ve begun negotiations at the show with food systems buyers from the UAE, South Africa, Iran, India and Qatar.

“We came to test the market and have realised that we can plug a gap between European providers and low-cost Far Eastern suppliers,” said Vladimir Gorishny, Head of Department at MiSSP, one of the country’s biggest suppliers of molding, filling, labelling and packaging equipment. “The buyers we’ve met are interested in the fact that our products are made with European-standard electronics and proven Russian metalwork expertise and offer a unique competitive edge. The result is we are not as expensive as European products but not as cheap as some from China. We fall within the mid-range at European quality standards which has appeal to SME producers.”

Led by Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the country’s Gulfood Manufacturing pavilion is a showpiece for technology which is transforming Russia’s own domestic production and is now attracting overseas interest. The companies at the show are promoting bakery equipment, high-tech equipment including 3D-format container technology for the drinks, dairy and edible oil sectors, confectionery machinery and meat processing equipment.

“All the exhibitors are pleased with the initial response they have received here and I envisage the country returning with a bigger pavilion next year – we want to be a regular at the show,” said a spokesman for the pavilion organiser.

Russia is one of four new-to-market pavilions at the sold-out Gulfood Manufacturing 2016, which features exhibitors from 50 countries. Other first-time pavilions represent Indonesia, Ireland and South Africa. The four are among 29 official national pavilions including production machinery leaders Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Gulfood Manufacturing 2016 is an impressive 20 per cent larger than last year’s event with 1,600 international food manufacturers, suppliers and industry service filling 13 DWTC halls. The show is split into three specialist areas across more than 77,000 square metres of exhibition space: Ingredients Middle East; ProPack Middle East covering automation, processing equipment and packaging machinery and Logistics Solutions Middle East for firms involved in materials handling, transport, IT and technology solutions, warehousing and facilitators and service providers.

Gulfood Manufacturing is open between 10am – 6pm on November 8 and 10am – 5pm on November 9. Attendance, which is free-of-charge, is for trade professionals only. For more information, please visit: gulfoodmanufacturing.com.