The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is bringing the best that the U.S. agricultural sector has to offer to this year’s Gulfood, taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre February 20-24.

USDA has been participating in Gulfood for more than 25 years. This year’s USA Pavilion covers a total area of 1,592 sqm and house 158 exhibitors, including more than 25 which are new to the market. International buyers and importers will be able to find a great variety of U.S. products throughout the five spaces in the USA Pavilion, covering the Worlds of Food, Meat, Poultry, Dairy, and Pulses and Grains.

On February 20, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator Daniel B. Whitley and U.S. Consul-General Megan Gregonis officially opened the USA Pavilion to visitors. During Gulfood, Whitley and Gregonis participated in cooking demonstrations promoting U.S. ingredients and meet with exhibitors and other key partners.

“Last year, on-site and projected sales from U.S. exporters at Gulfood exceeded USD 250 million, demonstrating the tremendous global interest and demand for American food and farm products,” said Whitley, administrator, FAS. “I’m thrilled to be back at Gulfood opening the USA Pavilion and am confident that buyers attending the show will be extremely impressed by the variety of high-quality U.S. foods, beverages, and agricultural products available from exhibitors this year.”

USDA staff from 18 of FAS’s international offices will be available to answer questions and coordinate business-to-business meetings at the USA Pavilion. The team recruited 90 potential food and beverage buyers from countries in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East to attend the show, meet with U.S. exporters, and help boost sales, all underscoring the importance of Gulfood as a global business platform.

Other noteworthy events at the USA Pavilion include cooking demonstrations and competitions organized with the International Centre for Culinary Arts and hosted by renowned chefs representing the U.S. Poultry and Eggs Export Council, U.S. Meat Export Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, and other U.S.-state-level agricultural export promotion organizations.

Gulfood will also feature the launch of FAS’s Regional Office of Agricultural Affairs ‘Fork and the Road’ campaign, which will use storytelling to promote U.S. food and farm products in the MENA Region and increase awareness about the high-quality and variety of U.S. agricultural products.