[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="16941,16940,16939,16938"] Saudi Gazette report Busibess2Business meetings and general networking between an Indian delegation and Saudi businessmen and entrepreneurs was facilitated by the Jeddah Diwaniah last weekend, with the visitors taking advantage to showcase their products in a bid to enter the Saudi market. Hussam Al Kahtani of the Diwaniah welcomed representative from the 60 Indian companies, all active in the Agro-Food sector and who had participated in the 4-day Foodex Saudi 2015. They later met Saudi businessmen and discussed possible tie-ups. The Indian delegates interacted with Saudi businessmen and showcased the latest and advanced products and services in this sector. These included health foods, ingredients, processing and packaging techniques, restaurant and cafe products, tea and coffee, various kinds of food items, different types of spirits and beverages, bakery, catering company products, cold drinks, confectionary, convenience foods, dairy, diet foods, fresh produced food products, gourmet foods, grocery products. Earlier,Consul General B. S. Mubarak,along with SIBN, had set up a B2B meeting for the delegates at Trident Hotel. The meetings evoked good response,and this was followed up with the Diwaniah meeting later in the day. S.R.H. Fahmi, consul (Commerce), Consulate General of India, said, "The additional B2B meet here and the warm welcome reflects the close Indo-Saudi ties. The delegation too is giving a boost to the Indian food industry by encouraging more bilateral trade between the two nations in the food industry, for this delegation represents all major sectors of food industry right from the export intensive spice industry to the snack food and confectionary sector." Also present was Promod Kumar Agarwal, second secretary (Commerce & Trade) Embassy of India, Riyadh. He said, "This Indian businessmen's visit aims to build long-term trade relations between the two nations in the food sector by promoting investment opportunities in India, joint venture opportunities and boosting export and import of various food products. Al Kahtani, the driving force of the event, personally welcomed all Indian delegates on behalf of Jeddah Diwaniah management by providing all superb hospitality. He welcomed more such B2B meetings between the two countries on regular basis and thanked Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki of SIBN for arranging the B2B meetings whenever Indian delegation visits the Kingdom. Other Saudis too had their views as Sulaiman I. Al Namlah said, "The Kingdom traditionally is a significant market for Indian Basmati rice, fresh fruits and vegetables, processed food products like ready-to-eat food/curries, soups, honey, fresh/frozen fruits & vegetables, chutneys, pickles, herbal tea and organic products and I'm very happy with the B2B meeting." Nabil Murad, in advertising and marketing, stressed the need to take a business delegation to India and he highly appreciated SIBN services in fostering Indo-Saudi tourism, trade, industry, business and cultural relations through informal meetings and festivals at the Diwaniah. Young Saudi entrepreneur Abdullah Al-Muhaidib nephew of Emad Al-Muhaidib, highly appreciated the efforts of SIBN in boosting links between Saudi and Indian businessmen. He said following his discussion with the Indian business representatives at the Foodex Saudi 2015 he noted that the prospects of increased trade is brighter, and the building of brand India is continuing. India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) Manager Azam Khan said that we are grateful to SIBN and Consul General of India B.S. Mubarak for organizing these important B2B meetings with Saudi businessmen. Other delegates too appreciated the warm Saudi welcome and lauded the B2B meeting that provided them extra opportunities. Umesh Kumar, asst. general manager, agricultural and processed food products export development authority (APEDA), said, "SIBN has arranged a perfect opportunity for us to meet with Saudi businessmen, and potential buyers as well as allowing us to give our counterparts a better understanding of the consumer trends driving India's food sector." Rajesh Sharma, senior director, Trade promotion Council of India (TPCI), said Saudi Arabia is a diverse and valuable trading region for Indian's Agri-Food industries. On SIBN side, Indian members too were optimistic. Majeedul Hassan, general secretary, said we are working towards giving a boost to the Indian food industry by encouraging more bilateral trade between the two nations in this sector. We have a long tradition as an agro-exporting country, trusted, reliable, and predictable, that respects contracts and follows rules. Zaki, executive secretary, said India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has emerged as a key destination for foreign investors and exporters in recent years. He thanked Khalid Al Fozan, Emad Al-Muhaidib, Hamaed Al Afraj and Diwaniah management for their hospitality. Asim Zeeshan, of SIBN Event Management, introduced the Indian delegates to Saudi businessmen? The program was compered by Vijay Soni, treasurer, and Zakaria Biladi, of SIBN Event Management, managed the B2B meetings and events. SIBN arranged the sumptuous fare of Indian Hyderabadi biryani and sweets from Shadab Restaurant.
