The Canadian Food Exporters Association in partnership with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service would like to invite you to participate in a trade mission to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Dubai, UAE from November 25-28, 2024.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia’s GDP reached $1.11 trillion, positioning it as the 15th largest economy in the world and the most influential economy in the Middle East. The country depends on imports to meet 70 percent of its food demands and Canada’s share accounted for $77 million.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the second largest economy in the Middle East with a GDP of $536 billion. This country imports approximately 80% of their agri-food requirements. Canada is the fifth largest exporter of agri-food and seafood products to the UAE. Processed food and beverage exports to the UAE were valued at Can$663 million in 2023.

There is opportunity for growth of Canadian agri-food products in both these countries. Participating in this mission will give you the opportunity to showcase your products to buyers in both countries showing them what Canada has to offer.

The objectives of this mission are to:

• Explore opportunities by meeting with interested importers, distributors and buyers.
• Gain recognition for Canada as a supplier of high quality, safe food.
• See trends in the region for value-added products.

Proposed Agenda:

November 24: Arrive to Jeddah check into hotel
November 25: Morning briefing followed by a Canada Food Expo table top in a hotel conference room (venue to be confirmed)
November 26: Store tours followed by flight to Dubai
November 27: Morning briefing followed by a Canada Food Expo table top in a hotel conference room (venue to be confirmed)
November 28: Store tours
November 29: depart back to Canada

The cost to participate is CDN $1,384.00/member or CDN $2,768.00/non-member. Participation fee covers the cost of carbon offset fee for flights to/from Middle East, venue rental and hospitality fees, bus rentals, and hiring of local staff to coordinate the buyer invitations.

Registration is available online at https://www.cfea.com/middle-east-2024-mission-registration/

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to working with you!

CFEA Membership: You are not required to be a member to participate in this program. Should you wish to become a member to benefit from the reduced participation fee and receive the travel reimbursement you can register at https://www.cfea.com/application.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations will only be permitted if a replacement can be found to take the spot. In the event a replacement can be found the cancellation fee will be CDN $250.00.

Event Funding:

CFEA members will receive reimbursements for the following items:

Airfare: 50% reimbursement of a premium economy airline ticket (maximum 1 per company).

Per Diems: a per diem of $287.50 per day up to 6 days (maximum 1 per company).

We reserve the right to limit the maximum reimbursement if the airline ticket cost exceeds our budget.

Funding for this program is provided by
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s /Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada
AgriMarketing Program / Programme Agri-marketing