Milsatcom Middle East spotlights region as key growth area for commercial satellite industry

Abu Dhabi, 23 January, 2012: The global government and military communications market is projected to be worth US$9 billion by 2018, and the Middle East will be a key growth region for the commercial satellite industry, an expert has said today.

Gordon McMillan, Director of Government Services for global satellite network provider Inmarsat, said that the increasing adoption of commercial satellite communication systems by government and military users, coupled with exponential demand for greater bandwidth, presents excellent opportunities for commercial satellite providers.

“As military budgets come under increasing pressure, the commercial satellite industry fulfils an increasingly greater proportion of the communications needs of government and military customers,” said McMillan, who was speaking at Milsatcom Middle East, which opened today at the Park Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi.

Organised by Streamline Marketing Group, the two-day conference has been developed specifically to meet the satellite communications needs of the Middle East military, government and security agencies.

Added McMillan: “The impact of this is that in the future, fewer dedicated military satellite communications systems will be launched, and military forces will need to augment military systems with greater use of commercial satellite communications networks.
“Commercial satellite communication systems that are designed with military and government users in mind will provide these users with a greater degree of flexibility in how they fulfill their communications requirements, for land, sea and air operations.”

McMillan was one of thirteen industry speakers at Milsatcom Middle East today addressing delegates on the role of the commercial satellite industry in future military satellite communications operations.  He said that the need for access to greater amounts of information in all forms, including data imagery, live motion video, and voice on large platforms, whether at sea, on land or in the air is stretching the capacity and flexibility of military and commercial systems alike.

He added: “The fluid and asymmetric environments encountered by today’s security forces will become more complex and challenging, both politically, and operationally, placing an even greater emphasis on the need for real-time, accurate information to support decision making.

“Among many others, these trends will present great opportunities for those commercial satellite providers that can assemble and deliver an adaptable combination of a global, secure communications network supported by products, services and applications that enable and enhance the flow of information for military commanders and soldiers.”

McMillan said that according to independent research the global government and military satellite communications market was worth an estimated US$4 billion in 2010.  More than 40 per cent of Inmarsat’s global business is from military and government customers, with the company planning to launch four new satellites in the next three years, adding significantly greater bandwidth and in-orbit resilience to its overall network.

“The Middle East has been, and will continue to be a very important region in the context of government and military communications,” McMillan continued. “Milsatcom Middle East provides an ideal platform for the commercial satellite industry to speak directly with senior regional military commanders to better understand their current and future requirements for satellite communications.”

Milsatcom Middle East features 17 regional and international expert speakers from the commercial military satellite communications industry, discussing changing battleground realities, connectivity, network security, emerging trends and regulatory concerns of one of the most active military satellite communication markets in the world.

Staff Brigadier Hamad Juma al Niyadi, Commander of Electronic Warfare for the UAE Armed Forces delivered the opening address, examining the evolution of military satellite communications in the Middle East.  Joining him was Maj. Dr. Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Senior ICT Advisor Center of Excellence & Development of the UAE Armed Forces.

Other panel discussions included military satellite communications trends and opportunities, and challenges while planning next generation military satellite communication services.

Other speakers included Koen Willems, Director, Newtec, Tareq Al Hosani, CEO, Yahsat, Shawkat Ahmed, Chief Commercial Office, Yahsat, Gerard Donelan, Head of Public Sector Projects, SES Astra, Nikolas Faller, Director, EMEA, Astrium, and Robert Cleave, Vice President, Lockheed Martin.  The Conference Chairman was satellite communications consultant John Yates.

Residential rental rates in Qatar were broadly stable across all locations in the fourth quarter of last year while the number of transactions and enquiries increased as demand picked up, leading property consultancy Asteco said in its latest report.

With the exception of some marginal rises, rents are likely to remain unchanged in 2012 but demand is expected to continue rising. While supply is set to outstrip demand, the supply/demand gap will decrease towards the end of the year.

“The performance of Qatar’s property sector is likely to be similar to 2011, with sales prices and rental rates remaining relatively flat,” said Jed Wolfe, Managing Director, Asteco Qatar.

“Bearing in mind 2011 was the third consecutive year of the global downturn experienced by the GCC markets, the Qatar real estate market performed relatively well, with pricing generally stabilising across all sectors,” added Wolfe.

Rental rates for a two-bedroom apartment in Al Sadd and the Pearl-Qatar were on average QAR6,250 and QAR13,000 per month respectively in the fourth quarter.

There was a small decline in rents in the prime area of West Bay, but this was due largely to a small number of transactions rather than a market trend, while rents for compound villas rose slightly, with high quality luxury villas best performers.

Rents for good quality villas ranged between QAR23,000 and QAR40,000 per month.

Demand for prime villas that are maintained to high international standards marginally outstripped supply and this looks set to continue. Demand in Qatar is generally expected to be focused on prime locations such as West Bay and may minimize the effect of increased supply.

There was a distinct increase in apartment sales transactions in the Pearl-Qatar over the last three months indicating that investor confidence is returning. Transactions largely occurred in the secondary market by investors looking for distressed sales.

“With prices having stabilised for the fourth consecutive quarter, there is now strong evidence to suggest that prices have finally bottomed out and will not decline further,” said Wolfe.

Enquiry levels from both Qataris and expatriates for freehold apartments were distinctively higher than during the third quarter of last year which may result in a more positive sales market in 2012.

Overall performance of the property market may improve this year depending on whether contracts for rail network, stadia and associated construction projects are awarded.

The new collection is part of Rasasi’s exquisite Oudh collections

In a step that is set to further reinforce its market dominance, Rasasi Perfumes — one of the leading names in the regional retail landscape offering an exquisite range of fragrances — has announced the launch of Al Oudh Al Thameen oudh moattar Collection, the all-new Oriental range.

The new Oudh Moattar is the brand extension of the successful Attar Al Thameen range — one of the most prestigious and successful products from Rasasi. Al Oudh Al Thameen offers the same fragrance as Attar Al Thameen; and follows the customer acceptance and tremendous success of the earlier-launched premium Oriental range.

Mr. Salim Kalsekar, Managing Director, UAE & GCC Region at Rasasi, said: “As a company, we are committed to tailor our products to the needs and demands of the market. The unprecedented success of our premium Attar Al Thameen range necessitated the launch of a new Oudh-based Attar and we were inspired to launch Al Oudh Al Thameen.”

Targeting the sophisticated matured people who are above 35 years of age, the Oriental Attar collection provides a unique combination of notes which help the freshness to be maintained for a long time.

He added: “Everything from the attractive packaging to the content of the new product caters to the sense and style of people who enjoy finer things in life. Needless to say, Rasasi will continue to extend its line of innovative products customized to the market. This is yet another testimony of a premium product for our high-profile clientele.”

Al Oudh Al Thameen Oudh moattar  is available in 35gms box across all Rasasi showrooms all over the Middle East.

ProMedia, a subsidiary company of Omnix International, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) solution provider, has expressed its confidence in increasing market share within Qatar’s rapidly developing construction industry. The company has also revealed its plans to strengthen its market presence as the country prepares for an expected influx of some USD 700 billion worth of new investment projects predicted in Qatar by 2020, and around USD 86 billion alone will be spent on infrastructure projects. Looking to increase more awareness on the immense potential of utilizing BIM software and solutions, the leading company successfully hosted a seminar entitled, ‘Autodesk Live Event 2011’ at the Marriott, Qatar. Qatari based companies are expected to advantageously gain from the key and essential data produced by Autodesk BIM, further helping realize real business results like quality, efficiency, productivity and sustainability. 

The figures cited are part of a report from Frost & Sullivan, a leading business intelligence and research firm. The report further shows that Qatar will be a significant driver of the overall emerging Middle East economy in the next decade. A growth of 46 per cent over the next five years in construction has been predicted in Qatar, which currently has a population of about 1.7 million. Though the construction industry at present accounts for five per cent of Qatar’s GDP (which is the highest in the world in terms of per capita), it has the highest percentage growth and, especially with various large-scale projects to be completed before the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In line with this, ProMedia has revealed that the emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology as a strategic design and planning tool to generate and manage building data is now being foreseen as a major business driver for Qatar’s growing number of infrastructure projects.

“These are exciting times for Qatar’s construction industry and we are confident that our wide range of Autodesk BIM solutions will play a key role in the completion of these major projects that have been rolled out in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” said Deepak Mehta, Manager of Autodesk Services, ProMedia. “Our company’s current turnover in the CAD segment is more than USD 50 million, with around 25 to 30 per cent coming from Qatar. With the expected influx of more projects, we are confident to increase our market share. Our overall goal is to reach USD 136 million in profit over the next few years and we are expecting 50 per cent of this to come from Qatar.”

ProMedia has also revealed its move to increase more awareness on the release of the new HP Z Workstation, a next generation system for architecture that offers faster performance through an enhanced set of HP optimization and built-in HP reliability. The new workstation solution is being targeted across Qatar’s engineers, architects, designers and analysis experts, which will highly benefit from using the HP Z solutions package. The company has further shared that Autodesk has been standardized on the HP Workstations, ably making HP the No.1 hardware partner for Autodesk.

“The Qatar release of the new HP Z workstation has been timed to meet the need of the country’s design and engineering professionals for specialized workstations. ProMedia Qatar has been Autodesk solutions Gold partner for years and has also recently tied up with HP as ‘Gold partner \Workstations Specialist’ to help customers choose the right Z-series workstation that can match with their environment and Autodesk software verticals,” said Jinesh Thomas, Product Manager – HP workstation, ProMedia Qatar.

Among these solutions is AutoCAD 2012, which is the latest edition of the Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) application for 2D and 3D design. The new Autodesk software solution package provides a comprehensive set of tools to help users address a variety of workflow needs - from project design, visualization and simulation to documentation and construction. The visualization technology offered by Autodesk BIM solutions helps improve efficiency by making visualization an integral part of the entire design process. Each suite offers a cost-effective way to respond to changing business requirements, providing access to the latest design and visualization tools through a single, economical and convenient purchase.

“Our strategic line of Autodesk BIM solutions is being packaged as an essential tool for the design process, most especially for the MEP segment. More often than not, these construction companies spend more on MEP designs and later revisions, as the planned designs for electric, HVAC, plumbing and fire fighting systems tend to clash, so a lot of money gets wasted in the process. Using a key solution like Revit MEP can detect clashes at an early stage and work on a strategic design that will not only save on time but also on cost,” concluded Mehta.

Portland: The success of Apple Inc.’s iPad isn’t just drawing more competition to the tablet market. It’s attracting thousands of counterfeit and knockoff products.

On a single day in July, almost 18,000 fakes and clones resembling the iPad and Android devices were available for sale on 23 e-commerce sites, according to MarkMonitor Inc., a San Francisco-based firm that helps companies protect their brands.

The tablets can be illegal — for instance, if they have a bogus Apple logo — and often they don’t work well and have no warranty protection, said Fred Felman, chief marketing officer of MarkMonitor. The copycat products and suspected counterfeits found in MarkMonitor’s survey were offered by more than 5,000 sellers, many of them located in China.

Knockoff iPads may proliferate during the year-end holiday season, as shoppers beset by the economic slump go hunting for bargains. That’s creating more competition for Apple, even if many consumers only buy the tablets because they believe they’re getting the real thing. Apple’s advantage is its software is hard to replicate, said Francis Sideco, an analyst at research firm IHS Inc.

“You can only copy to a certain degree,” he said. For instance, knockoff tablets may not connect to Apple’s iTunes and App Store. “It’s not necessarily about hardware but the software, and it’s very difficult to copy that,” Sideco said. Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Apple released the iPad in April 2010, and it quickly emerged as the company’s No. 2 product category behind the iPhone. The tablet generated $6.9 billion (Dh25.33 billion) last quarter, out of a total earnings of $28.3 billion. The device has attracted scads of leg-itimate competitors, with many manufacturers using Google Inc.’s Android software.

Amazon.com Inc. also is jumping into the market this holiday season. It will release its $199 Kindle Fire tablet later this month, aiming to undercut the iPad, which starts at $499.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates:  With the Middle East predicted to witness unprecedented growth within the luxury car segment over the next five years, luxury car manufacturers are set to showcase their most dazzling models at this year’s Dubai International Motor Show.

The world’s premium marques join a full list of international exhibitors preparing to unveil their latest models, concept cars and technological innovations during the five day event running from 10–14 November 2011 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

According to IHS Automotive,  figures released by the leading luxury car manufacturers indicate that sales of luxury cars in the Middle East are expected to increase by 20% this year - the highest level ever and more than double the 9.7 percent growth that the Middle East luxury segment experienced last year.  It is also predicted that, if the pattern continues, the Middle East luxury car segment will double over the period 2010-2015 positioning the region as a global leader within this lucrative market.

“We are delighted that so many key names within the luxury car market choose the Dubai International Motor Show as their preferred event to exhibit and launch new models to the region and globally” said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre, the organiser of The Dubai International Motor Show “The fact that the show is a must attend event for leading premium brands is testament to its success at reaching their target customers within the luxury segment”

To mark the 100th year anniversary of the Spirit of Ecstasy  -the iconic Flying Lady mascot - Rolls Royce Motor Cars is demonstrating the importance of the Middle East by showcasing two highly bespoke phantom models, as well as a yet to be revealed exclusive showpiece  that promises to dazzle crowds.

James Crichton, Regional Director at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East and Africa, comments “This has been a tremendously successful year for Rolls-Royce with sales achieving almost 65% market share of the ultra-luxury (over $250,000) car segment until the end of August. We have defined the growth in this segment and the continuous demand for our highly Bespoke Phantom and Ghost models is testament to the increasing demand in the market for ultra-luxury goods. The Middle East region continues to be an important driver in the global growth of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and last year contributed to over 15% of our global sales. With the Middle East being one of our core markets, the participation in the Dubai Motor Show is unquestioned and we look forward to celebrating the 100 year anniversary of The Spirit of Ecstasy at the event.”

Ultra-luxury car manufacturer, Bentley, has also enjoyed ongoing success this year, having witnessed a 31% increase in Bentley’s global sales on the same period last year, with overall sales expected to grow around 40% with the imminent arrival of the new Continental GTC.  This year’s show is set to be a seminal event for Bentley, with a number of models scheduled for regional debuts in the manufacturer’s strongest performing market in the region. 

Chris Buxton, Regional Director, Bentley Middle East, Africa and India said “The Dubai Motor Show grows in size and importance each year. At this year’s show, Bentley will show the new Continental GTC for the first time in the region, alongside the new Continental GT. We will also have our flagship, the Bentley Mulsanne on the stand, which is the epitome of British luxury motoring together with a very special Series 51 Continental Flying Spur”.

With the top end BMW 7 Series, X6, X5 and 5 Series consistently amongst its bestsellers, sales for BMW this year continue to grow.  The UAE remains the biggest market in the region for the leading luxury car manufacturer, making the Dubai International Motor Show an important showcase for its premium models.

“Together with our local importer, AGMC, we will display 16 BMW and MINI models at this year’s Dubai International Motor Show.  It’s a fantastic, well organised show attended by thousands of people so it presents a great platform for us to showcase some of our latest models and technology features.  We are looking forward to our participation and the excitement of the motor show which will add further interest to the popularity and excellent sales of our brands,” said Joerg Breuer, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East.

The Middle East maintains its position as the most successful market for Mercedes-Benz’s ultra-luxury Maybach marque, with its extensive bespoke service attracting the discerning customers in the region looking for luxury at the highest level.  

“As the leading automotive exhibition in the Middle East, the Dubai International Motor Show 2011 provides the ideal opportunity for Mercedes-Benz to showcase it latest products. As we celebrate 125 years since the invention of the automobile, this year’s show is the most important for us to date. With over 50 years experience in delivering our promise of ‘The Best or Nothing’ in the region, the Dubai International Motor Show 2011 marks a major milestone for Mercedes-Benz, and we plan to make a splash with some exciting new models,” said Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East and Levant.

Exhibitors joining Bentley, Rolls Royce, Mercedes-Benz and BMW this year include Audi, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

The Dubai International Motor Show will be held from 10–14 November 2011 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The show is open from 5pm–10pm on Thursday 10 November, 3pm–10pm on Friday 11 November and 11am–10pm on 12, 13, 14 November. Ticket prices are AED 50. For more information visit www.dubaimotorshow.com

Asus HD 6770 DirectCU Silent Graphic Card

New HD 6770 DirectCU Silent graphics card offers revolutionary cooling, paving the way for 0dB silent multimedia and gaming performance

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (September 13, 2011) – with the release of the new HD 6770 DirectCU Silent, ASUS has deployed the most powerful and advanced fanless graphics cards available. Running totally silent and 16%* cooler than generic passive designs, the ASUS DirectCU Silent series increases thermal performance and offers consumers a more reliable and longer lasting experience that meets every graphics need, from casual multimedia to dedicated gaming.

DirectCU Silent technology offers 95%* larger heatsinks for 16%* cooler performance

ASUS thermal engineers have developed exclusive DirectCU cooling technology, integrating direct-contact copper heat pipes that touch the GPU core for faster and more effective heat dissipation, and thus lower temperatures and better performance. Based on these principles, ASUS engineers have created the most effective 0dB silent graphics cards available. DirectCU Silent designs have been applied on the GT 430, GT 440, GTS 450 and HD 6670 previously, and now on the HD 6770 model. Through intricate material processing and intelligent molding, the heatsinks in DirectCU Silent cards offer up to 95%* larger surface area and run around 16%* cooler than conventional passive cards, resulting in more stable performance and longer lasting products.

Super Alloy Power enhances product longevity and performance

Based on a proprietary alloy mix developed in-house by ASUS, Super Alloy Power involves filling power delivery components with a high endurance compound that can better resist heat. Super Alloy Power components lead to 15%* faster performance, a wider overclocking margin, and products that last 2.5* times longer than generic graphics cards.

Delivering cool and stable gaming performance

The DirectX® 11-compatible ASUS HD 6770 DirectCU Silent features 800 stream processors and 40 texture units, plus 1GB of GDDR5 video memory. This means it is more than able to handle HD gaming with details and effects set to medium or higher, which was unheard of with previous silent cards. The HD 6770 DirectCU Silent is therefore an excellent choice for consumers who require a quiet computing environment, and at the same time are unwilling to sacrifice potent multimedia and gaming capabilities.

Product highlights

ASUS DirectCU Silent graphics cards are the coolest silent choice currently available. Totally quiet 0dB passive cooling creates a hushed usage environment and runs 16%* cooler than conventional passive cards, presenting unmitigated multimedia and gaming performance

The heatsink on the HD 6770 DirectCU Silent offers up to 95%* larger surface area than its respective reference design for faster heat dissipation

ASUS exclusive Super Alloy Power components offer a 15%* performance boost and 2.5* longer product lifespan

The HD 6770 DirectCU Silent ships with 1GB of GDDR5 video memory to handle HD gaming in high detail and with most effects turned on

Pricing: TBA

Availability in the UAE & GCC: Q4 2011

In rent-to-buy property schemes, tenants can convert rent they have paid into equity towards purchase of their unit

The growth in rent-to-buy property schemes, where tenants can convert the rent they have paid into equity towards the purchase of their unit, has proven to be a popular way for buyers to get onto the UAE property ladder, analysts have said.

Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s largest developer, this week launched a rent-to-own programme for units at its Raha Beach development.

Under the scheme, tenants pay a set amount of rent for two years, with 100 percent of the first year’s rent and 90 percent of the second year’s rent then converted into equity for the purchase of the unit.

The tenant is under no obligation to purchase and also has the option to transfer the equity to another tenant if they decide not to buy after the two year period.

Such schemes are becoming more common in the UAE and analysts say they have proved popular as they offer tenants a way to get onto the property ladder at a time when the market is still not very certain.

“This idea has proved popular already and it can be even more successful if developers are clear and transparent with the terms and conditions,” said Priyesh Patel, a real estate agent at Aston Pearl Real Estate in Dubai.

Fellow Abu Dhabi Sorouh Real Estate launched the first rent-to-buy scheme in the UAE capital earlier this year for its apartments in Sun Tower on Reem Island and Emaar Properties launched a similar scheme in November 2008 for its developments in Downtown Dubai.

“No one can pin point where the market is going to be in two years, therefore there is an element of risk of prices falling or rising… [But] for those who want to enter the property market it could be the perfect solution,” added Patel.

Matthew Green, head of research and consultancy at real estate firm CB Richard Ellis in Dubai also welcomed the growth in such schemes but offered a cautionary note that tenants must make sure the rental rates and end sales prices offered by developers are realistic.

“In principle I think the scheme is a good idea, and could help to encourage and enable further investment for end-users looking to join the property ladder. However, this is on the presumption that the rental rates and the final sales price that are offered by the developer are actually in line with reality,” said Green.

“Evidently the developer will look to make a premium by offering such an incentive scheme and this is likely to be achieved by setting initial rental rates that are above market norms in order to ensure a profit should the tenant not decide to purchase,” he added.

The UAE market, especially Dubai, was one of the markets worst hit by the global financial crisis and the credit crunch, with a large number of projects put on hold and prices dropping by up to 60 percent from their peak in 2008.

The latest Global House Price Index from real estate agents Knight Frank reported Dubai prices fell 4.7 percent in the last year. While it was still the ninth worst performing market out of the 50 countries surveyed, prices have only fallen 0.1 percent in the first six months of the year.

Developers have looked to schemes such as rent-to-buy to try and inspire confidence in buyers and reduce the risk element in buying into the UAE market.

According to Patel, buyers should only avail of the scheme direct from developers, rather than from individual landlords.

“The idea of rent-to-own has been in Europe and UK for many years now but is only being offered by developers which should be the only way it’s done. There have been cases of real estate brokers trying the scheme but I don’t believe it’s safe as the property is owned by an individual and not the developer,” he said.

RDF8K

New Delhi, 5th September 2011: Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend®), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today introduced its new USB 3.0 multi card reader, the RDF8. The new reader utilizes a Super Speed USB 3.0 interface and supports the latest ultra high speed card formats, including SDHC UHS-1, SDXC UHS-1, UDMA6/UDMA7 CF and MSXC cards, allowing avid photographers and video enthusiasts to effortlessly copy high-resolution uncompressed images or 1080p Full HD video files from their memory cards to their computer.
 
High-speed File Transfer Performance

The RDF8 USB 3.0 card reader is equipped with a next-generation SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connection interface that delivers transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 card readers. Thanks to the increased bandwidth of USB 3.0, data can be carried to the computer as fast as the user’s memory card permits. When paired with an Ultra High Speed (UHS-1) SD card, for example, files as large as one gigabyte can be transferred in less than twelve seconds.
 
Full Compatibility with Modern Card Formats

Designed to unleash the full potential of next generation memory cards, the RDF8 USB 3.0 card reader boasts a total of four slots: a CompactFlash (CF) slot compatible with UDMA CF cards, an SDHC/SDXC slot that supports the new UHS-1 standard, a smaller slot for M2/microSD cards, and a slot for MS PRO/MSXC/MS DUO cards. The RDF8 is also backwards compatible with the USB 2.0 interface and accepts older versions of CF, SD, and SDHC cards, making the card reader quite practical for today`s digital needs.
 
RecoveRx Brings Deleted Photos Back to Life

The prospect of losing precious, once-in-a-lifetime shots to camera or memory card malfunction is a longstanding fear that looms in the minds of professional and amateur photographers alike.  For extra peace of mind, the RDF8, like all other Transcend card readers, comes with a free download of Transcend’s powerful and user-friendly RecoveRx software. Compatible with both Mac and Windows, this amazing data recovery tool can effectively recover lost, deleted or damaged photos and other digital files from multiple types of memory cards.

Pricing and Availability :

The RDF8 USB 3.0 multi card reader is backed by Transcend’s two-year limited warranty and is available at MRP of Rs.1080.

Khalid-Daou

Domestic organic & natural foods sector estimated at SAR 1 billion

August 17, 2011

The growing health consciousness among Saudi residents coupled with rising income levels that allow for flexibility in food choices has transformed the Kingdom into the GCC’s top organic foods market. The KSA’s domestic organic and natural foods sector is currently valued at around SAR 1 billion, accounting for 90 per cent of the regional market.

Efforts are underway to further develop organic food production in the country to boost the Saudi share in the thriving SAR 825 billion global organic food industry. A private-sector Saudi Organic Farming Association established at a budget of SAR 15 million is currently providing support to organic farmers. Considerable Saudi investments into the sector bode well for the broader Saudi agro-food business as organic produce will be processed and packaged locally and thus raise demand for equipment, technology and related services.

Opportunities in the Saudi organic foods sector will rank high in the agenda of the upcoming Saudi Agro-Food 2011 – The 18th International Exhibition for Food Processing and Packaging running from September 19 to 22, 2011 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event will provide an ideal business-to-business platform for organic food players as well as international organizations seeking to position themselves in the Middle East’s fastest-growing food market.

“Saudi Agro-Food is a perfect venue to learn more about the opportunities, issues and trends surrounding the Kingdom’s robust organic foods market. The Kingdom is an excellent springboard for building an organic food business as it has a strong influence on the regional markets and a rapidly growing population that is putting greater emphasis on health,” said Khalid Daou, Project Manager of Saudi Agro-Food at Riyadh Exhibitions Company.

Saudi Agro-Food 2011 will feature the latest products, technologies and services covering various areas such as frozen and chilled foods, confectionery, chocolates, health and natural foods, presentation, and processing and packaging equipment. It will include a special showcase dedicated to Organic Foods as well as the latest food processing industry trends. The event will take place concurrently with Saudi Agriculture 2011 – The 30th International Agriculture, Water and Agro-Industry Show to be held under the patronage and support of the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture. Saudi Agriculture 2011 is accredited by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and has been the region’s leading agriculture show for 30 years.

More information on Saudi Agro-Food 2011 and Saudi Agriculture 2011 is available at http://www.saudi-agriculture.com/.