Yet there’s still plenty of room for growth, with per-capita seafood consumption in other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, shy of 10 kilograms.
As a source of production, MENA is a relatively untapped region, representing only a fraction of global aquaculture production.
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) will be among the organizations on hand at the SEAFEX 2013 exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE, from November 17 to 19 to offer its support to a region that holds much potential, in terms of seafood consumption and aquaculture production growth.
Peter Redmond, vice president of business development for GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) division, is giving a presentation titled “Certification: Benefits Beyond Demands” as part of the three-day exhibition’s conference program on November 17. He will talk about GAA’s mission of advancing responsible aquaculture and the benefits of BAP certification.
“The MENA region stands to be a great resource for emerging production,” said Redmond. “We hope to show that certification is a key to market entry and responsible production.”
Roy Palmer, BAP market development manager in Australasia, is also attending SEAFEX 2013 and participating in the conference program. Both Redmond and Palmer will be walking the show floor, meeting with other organizations and companies to promote the BAP program and responsible aquaculture.
Joining Redmond and Palmer will be more than 50 exhibitors and 20 national pavilions, as well as more than 100 seafood buyers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Tunisian, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya.
Organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre, SEAFEX 2013 reports a 30 per cent increase in exhibitor space over its inaugural 2012 event. The region’s increasing population, rising economic prosperity and burgeoning tourism industry are contributing to the exhibition’s growth, according to the organizers.
For more information on SEAFEX 2013, visit www.seafexme.com.
