• Retail shelf space for organic and natural products have increased by over 30 per cent in the last two to three years

• Expo endorsed by Dubai Municipality and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM), Germany to run at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from December 5-7, 2011

Dubai, November 30, 2011: The organic retail sector in the UAE and the Middle East, particularly in GCC, is on an accelerated growth course with increasing consumer awareness on a healthy lifestyle and entry of new players into this segment triggering an emerging competition.

Addressing a press conference to unveil the details of the ninth edition of the Middle East Natural and Organic Products Expo (MENOPE '11), starting December 5 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, organizers and retail representatives said there are clear indications that the market for natural and organic products across categories has picked up significant momentum in the last few years.

"From a slow beginning, the regional organic products market is certainly on an upswing as more and more consumers continue to shift away from conventional encouraged by the health benefits of these products. The gradual expansion of the organic market base is also fuelled by the entry of a host of new focused players bringing in new products and global brands into the regional market," said    Eng. Nadim Al Fuqaha, Managing Director, Global Links, organizers of MENOPE.

MENOPE is Middle East's only exhibition for natural and organic products and this year over 100 exhibitors from 25 countries will take part in the niche show. The expo will run from December 5- 7 2011  and the highlights of the three-day expo includes the second two-day MEVEG Conference and a  conference on  traditional complementary and alternative medicines.

Increasing Shelf space
"An official study of the organic market growth for the Middle East is yet to happen because of the comparatively low volumes of uptake, but a random assessment shows that the shelf space for these products has increased by some 30 per cent in the last two to three years. This obviously is a robust indicator which throws light on the tremendous potential of the market," Eng. Nadim said.

Confirming the growth trend and the potential, Mr. Juma Al Hosani, Chairman of Organic, a new company exclusively focused on natural products launched recently, said: "Awareness is the key to the growth of the organic sector and thanks to the increase in the number of players in the market and the competitive environment it will create, there will be enhanced efforts at educating the consumer on the benefits of these products."

He said the issue of high prices curtailing consumption of organic products will also be addressed as sales volumes increase.

"Over the years, we have experienced the number of consumers opting for organic foods rise gradually and we believe that the organic market is poised to grow further in the UAE and the region in line with the global growth for these products," said Mr. Manoj Thanwani - Choithrams, adding that the "number of suppliers for organic food products has also grown from a handful to many with new brands catalyzing growth and competition."

He said that Choithrams is participating in MENOPE with the key motive of promoting fresh and healthy living.  MENOPE would be an ideal platform to showcase the healthy, organic product range being offered at Choithrams retail, he added.

Organic and natural cosmetics are also a growth sector, according to Ms. Yasmina Mungroo, Co-managing Director of Dubai on Heels, which represents Nafha, a French organic cosmetics range. "Organic  cosmetics is on a growth curve in the Middle East  and though the current market share is only 0.1 per cent compared to over 3 per cent in European and North American markets, the potential to grow is huge," she added.

According to Mr. Joby Mathew, Head, Exhibitions, Global Links, this year's expo has attracted many new players. "We believe this shows the advantage of taking part in MENOPE which is an acknowledged buyer-seller meeting ground for organic and natural product companies."

MENOPE 2011 is endorsed by the Dubai Municipality. It is supported by International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Germany, Ministry of Agriculture Lebanon, Department of Agriculture Philippines, Aga Marketing Austria, and National Chamber of Sri Lanka etc.

There is significant country pavilion participation as well at MENOPE 2011 from Austria, India, Korea, Philippines, USA, Romania, Srilanka, Lebanon, Iran, and Taiwan. The participating countries in MENOPE 2011 include the UAE, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Slovenia, Canada, among others.

MENOPE 2011 will showcase a variety of products spanning across Herbals and Spices, Food & Beverages, Cereal Products, Supplements, Health Care products, Natural Living, Natural and Organic Cosmetics, Healing Products, Natural remedies, Traditional Medicines, Spas, Relaxation facilities, and Fabrics.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2011