Bord Bia is making its first trade mission to the Gulf region since the start of Covid-19 this weekend.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue will travel with Bord Bia to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for five days, along with 14 Irish food and drink companies, to launch its new three-year business strategy for the region.
Despite the market volatility from Covid-19 on trade, exports by Irish companies to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were valued at €155m last year.
Irish food and drink exports to the wider Middle East market were valued at €311m last year. Exports of dairy and dairy ingredients were worth €272m, while exports of consumer foods amounted to €21m.
Bord Bia's new three-year strategy outlines a target of €380m in Irish food and drink exports to the wider Middle East region by 2025, led by dairy and consumer foods.
Under the plan, Ireland will target exports of more than €100m to Saudi Arabia and €85m to the UAE by 2025.
It said the key objectives for its trade mission are to help drive commercial opportunities for Irish dairy and consumer food exporters in the region.
It also aims to improve government-to-government engagement in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and enhance the reputation of Ireland as a trusted supplier and trading partner for high-quality, sustainably produced food and drink products.
Bord Bia noted that the UAE continues to be an important market for the premiumisation of Irish beef and during the trade mission it plans on inaugurating a new Chefs' Irish Beef Club (CIBC) member into the Dubai chapter.
CIBC is an exclusive international forum which brings together some of the world's most high-profile chefs who collectively endorse Irish beef.
Ailish Forde, Global Business Development Director of Bord Bia, said the Gulf region represents high potential growth opportunities for Irish food and drink producers, a market that values high quality products, and where Ireland is recognised for its excellence in producing sustainably produced products.
Ms Forde said that in a region where as much as 80-90% of food is imported, food security remains a key strategic and policy priority for Gulf states.
"Currently there are 43 million people living in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and by 2050 this is expected to increase to 58 million. Population growth has played, and will continue to play, a significant role in the surge in demand for food and food imports," she said.
"Despite successes in developing domestic food production capabilities, these countries will remain largely reliant on importing food. Ireland is ideally positioned to meet this demand and, through Origin Green, can provide the perfect solution for the growing demands of consumers whose changing dietary habits mean they are becoming more aware of the need to purchase sustainably produced food," she added.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said the Food Vision 2030 strategy sets a strong ambition for future value growth in Irish agri-food exports to €21 billion by 2030
"The current market dynamics of the Gulf region, including strong GDP and increased consumer spending power, will make it an increasingly important market for our export-focused food industry," the Minister added.
Ireland exports to a total of 18 Middle East countries - including Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
