Saudi Arabia is a dynamic country with a high volume of trade with EU

RIYADH: Visiting European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan said on Wednesday that there is a positive trend to develop businesses with the Kingdom since it is a growing and dynamic country, which has recorded a high volume of trade with the EU.
Hogan was speaking to Saudi businessmen on “Doing Business in the Saudi Arabian Agri-food sector” at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry during a business event chaired by its chairman, Ahmed Al-Rajhi.
The visiting minister met GCC Secretary-General Abdul Latif bin Rashid and Minister of Water, Environment and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by EU Ambassador to the Kingdom Michele Cervone D’urso.
Hogan is currently leading a 40-member EU delegation to promote quality food and beverage products from Europe.
Speaking on the occasion, Hogan said that Saudi Arabia is a dynamic country whose population is 32 million and many of them are young and urban. “We believe that this growing generation of consumers will be happy to choose our high-quality EU food and agricultural products,” he said, pointing out that EU agri-food exports to Saudi Arabia had increased from €1.5 billion to €4.6 billion between 2009 and 2016.
Describing Saudi consumers, Hogan said they are well informed and demanding, and the delegation wants to tell them how safe and healthy EU products and the raw materials that are supplied to the Kingdom from EU countries are.
“From farm to fork, at each stage of the food production chain, the EU sets a series of rules to ensure that our 500 million citizens enjoy the safest food in the world.”