India to Continue as Official Partner Country at Dubai
Gulfood 2027
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APEDA
Signs MoU with Gulfood Organiser to Strengthen Global Food Trade Opportunities
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India
to Return as Official Partner Country at Gulfood 2027 for Second Consecutive
Year
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Gulfood
2027 to Widen Participation of MSMEs, FPOs, Startups and Women- and SC/ST-led
Exporters
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MoU signed: APEDA and InD
Events Dubai signed an MoU at Vanijya Bhawan, New
Delhi, to strengthen India’s participation at Gulfood 2027.
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Official Partner Country: India
will again be the Official Partner Country, for the second
consecutive year, following its participation at Gulfood 2026.
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Event dates: 15–19 March 2027, UAE.
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Objective: Expand global visibility and
export opportunities for India’s agricultural and processed food products.
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Trade promotion: The partnership will facilitate
connections between Indian exporters and international buyers and support new
business partnerships.
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India-UAE CEPA: Participation is expected to
deepen India-UAE trade engagement under the Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
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Market gateway: Dubai’s strategic position will
be leveraged to expand Indian food exports to the GCC, wider Middle East and
African markets.
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Product focus: India will showcase premium,
branded, innovative and value-added food products, alongside traditional
commodity strengths.
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Unified national platform:
Participation will bring together exporters, FPOs, MSMEs, startups,
commodity boards and government institutions.
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Business facilitation: Curated B2B
meetings, product showcases, conferences and industry engagements will
connect Indian businesses with global buyers.
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Inclusive participation: Special
focus will be given to MSMEs, FPOs, startups and women- and SC/ST-led
exporters to increase their international market access.
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Key officials: The MoU was signed by Dr.
Saswati Bose, Secretary, APEDA, and Mark Napier, Vice President –
Exhibitions Department and Growth for Food & Hospitality, InD, in the presence of Commerce Secretary Rajesh
Agrawal.
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Expected impact: The initiative aims to reinforce
India’s positioning as a reliable and diversified supplier of
agricultural and processed food products in international markets.
India’s
participation at Gulfood 2027 received a significant boost with the signing of
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and InD
Events Dubai at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, in the
presence of Commerce Secretary, Rajesh Agrawal. India will return as the
Official Partner Country for Gulfood 2027, marking the second consecutive year
of the partnership and building on the visibility and business momentum generated
through India’s participation at Gulfood 2026.
Rajesh
Agrawal said that India’s continued status as the Official Partner Country at
Gulfood reflects the growing strength and global recognition of the country’s
agri-food sector. He said the partnership will provide Indian exporters with an
expanded platform to connect with international buyers, strengthen market
access and deepen India-UAE trade engagement under CEPA.
Vice
President - Exhibitions Department and Growth for Food & Hospitality, InD, Mr. Mark Napier said that India’s strong and diverse
food ecosystem, combined with its growing export capabilities, makes its
participation an important part of the global food trade platform. He said the
organisers look forward to building on the success of 2026 and facilitating
deeper connections between Indian exporters and buyers from across the world.
The
MoU was signed by Secretary, APEDA, Dr. Saswati Bose and Vice President -
Exhibitions Department and Growth for Food & Hospitality, InD, Mr. Mark Napier.
The
event was attended by Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government
of India, Nitin Kumar Yadav; Economic Advisor, Department of Commerce,
Government of India, Smt. Priya P Nair; Chairman, APEDA, Abhishek Dev;
Director, Department of Commerce, Smt. Monica Gaur; AVP - Commercial,
Exhibitions Department, InD, Ms. Salima; Managing
Director, Comnet Exhibitions, Ms. Chandrika Behl; and
other senior officers from the Ministry and APEDA. The signing marks an
important step towards strengthening India’s presence at Gulfood 2027 and
providing greater global visibility to India’s agricultural and processed food
products.
The
collaboration is expected to enhance international visibility and export
opportunities for Indian exporters by providing a stronger platform to showcase
India’s diverse agricultural and processed food products to global buyers.
Gulfood 2027, scheduled from 15-19 March 2027 in the UAE, is one of the world’s
leading food and beverage trade exhibitions, offering a major platform for
international business engagement and market exploration.
Building
on the momentum of the previous edition, India’s continuation as the Official
Partner Country will further strengthen its positioning as a reliable and
diversified supplier of agricultural and processed food products. The
partnership will also support deeper India-UAE trade engagement under the
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), while leveraging Dubai’s
strategic position as a gateway to the GCC, wider Middle East and African
markets.
India’s
participation will focus on showcasing premium, branded, innovative and
value-added food products alongside its established commodity strengths under a
unified national platform bringing together exporters, FPOs, MSMEs, startups,
commodity boards and government institutions. Curated B2B meetings, product
showcases, conferences and industry engagements will facilitate connections
with international buyers and support new business partnerships and export
opportunities.
A
key focus will be on widening participation from MSMEs, FPOs, startups and
women- and SC/ST-led exporters from across India, enabling emerging businesses
and producers to gain greater international visibility and connect with global
markets.
The
partnership will further strengthen India-UAE trade engagement under CEPA and
reinforce the region’s role as a key gateway for Indian food products to the
GCC, wider Middle East and African markets.