New Zealand is looking to Expo 2020 Dubai as a platform to ramp up trade with the UAE and broader GCC. The country is specifically looking to up food and beverage exports to the UAE as consumers in the region are increasingly conscious, wanting to know where their food comes from and how it’s made. “The Middle East is an exciting region for New Zealand exporters and the potential is significant,” New Zealand’s Consul General for Dubai and the Northern Emirates told Arabian Business. As of December 2020, New Zealand’s two-way trade with the six countries of the GCC totalled $2.7 billion.
New research commissioned by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), found that UAE consumers are willing to pay a premium for high-quality food and beverage products that taste good, are healthy, and they can trust. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers in the UAE care more about where their food comes from and how it was made, with more than 50 percent of those surveyed agreeing this impacts their F&B purchasing decisions. McKenna, who is also New Zealand’s trade commissions for the UAE, Qatar and the Levant, spoke to Arabian Business about the island nation’s plans to further ramp up exports to the GCC – even as they rose during the pandemic – to target those conscious consumers, and what sectors are set to see the biggest boost.