On July 2nd in Riga, Latvian food producers, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Normunds Šmits and Deputy State Secretary Juris Zīvarts met with Lulu Retail, one of the largest retailers in the Gulf region, at the event “Buyer Pitch to Lulu Retail (Y International) for GCC Export & New Discount Format”. Latvian food producers presented their products to Lulu Retail’s procurement experts, opening up opportunities for many Latvian companies to enter new export markets or expand their existing presence in the Gulf region.
The event was organised by the Latvian Business Council in Qatar. Representatives of Lulu Retail, Y International Polska and DRC Discount Retail Consulting, which assist Lulu Retail in identifying new European food suppliers for its retail operations in the Gulf region, also participated. Lulu Retail executive Simon Alexander met with Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Normunds Šmits, who also heads the Latvian Meat Processors Association. As a result of the discussions, it was agreed to organise special days dedicated to Latvian food products in Lulu Retail supermarkets to promote Latvian products, increase their visibility in the Gulf region and boost exports by Latvian food producers.
“Food produced by Latvian companies is of high quality and competitive worldwide, including in highly demanding markets. Our task is not to wait for markets to come to us, but to actively help Latvian businesses find and enter new markets. During our discussion, Lulu Retail executive Simon Alexander stressed that he sees significant potential for further cooperation with food producers from Latvia and the Baltic region. For my part, I assured potential partners of Latvian businesses in the Gulf region that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Latvian Government are committed to supporting our food producers in finding and entering new export markets, as well as expanding their presence in existing markets,” said Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Normunds Šmits.
One of the Ministry of Agriculture’s priorities is to support local food producers and expand exports of food produced in Latvia by helping businesses find new partners and strengthen their position in foreign markets. Meetings like this are a practical step towards creating broader opportunities for Latvian food producers in high added-value markets.
More than 30 food producers from Latvia and Lithuania participated in the event. Producers who were unable to attend in person will be offered an opportunity by the Latvian Business Council in Qatar to meet food retail representatives from the Gulf region by videoconference. Producers interested in this opportunity are invited to contact the Latvian Business Council in Qatar (contact details are available at https://latvianbcqatar.com/, telephone: +371 25911421). The organisers thank all participants and cooperation partners for their active involvement and plan to continue supporting the development of export opportunities for Latvia’s food sector in the Gulf countries.