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Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney today concluded a week long visit to the Gulf States with a speech to the Dubai Irish Business Network, and an audience of potential buyers and business partners at Bord Bia’s Taste of Ireland Green Box Competition in Dubai. The competition was adjudicated by Derry Clarke from L'Ecrivain restaurant in Dublin. The event was designed to highlight the quality of Irish food products in a market in which demand for food will be growing dramatically over the next decade.

Speaking at the event, Minister Coveney spoke of the range and diversity of Irish products available to the Gulf market:

The range of Irish foods available and the variety of producers ranging from renowned international companies to smaller specialised producers is a winning mix both for the Irish economy and for prospective buyers and co- investors in this part of the world. The Gulf region is rich with potential for producers of quality food. I know that the unrelenting focus on quality from Irish producers, and the warmth of the relationship between Ireland and Gulf countries is a sound basis for building sound and lasting business relationships.

The Dubai event marked the culmination of a trade mission involving almost 40 engagements in a packed schedule across Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. These included meetings with senior political and business figures in all 4 countries and with the Secretary General of the Gulf Co-operation Council. The mission also included major investment announcements from the Kerry Group, which is investing in a technology and innovation centre in Dubai, and the Irish Dairy Board, which is investing more than €20 million in a facility in Riyadh which will manufacture soft cheese developed specifically for the Saudi Arabian and Gulf market using technology developed in the Teagasc /IDB innovation centre in Moorepark in Fermoy.

Read the full press release

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