Commissioner Hogan on official visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran with EU agri-food producers

From 8 November to 13 November, Mr Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, is visiting Saudi Arabia and Iran accompanied by a business delegation of European agri-food producers from 19 different Member States. The aim is to boost EU trade in food and agricultural products with the two Middle Eastern nations, that in 2016 represented an export value of over €5 billion.Commissioner Hogan said: “I am glad to be continuing my diplomatic offensive for EU agri-food trade, by leading a mission to Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both countries are large markets, relatively close to Europe, with considerable potential for further trade. They appreciate our European food quality and high standards. I look forward to opening doors and developing opportunities for our European producers this week, building on previous missions to China, Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Indonesia and Vietnam.” In Saudi Arabia (8-9 November), the Commissioner’s programme foresees a series of political and business meetings with, among other, Mr Abdurrahman Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadli, Minister for Water, Environment and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, and Mr Hisham Saad Aljadhey, Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. While in Iran (10-13 November) , Commissioner Hogan will meet among other Mr Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Minister of health of Iran and Mr Mohammad Shariatmadari, Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade of Iran. In addition to the Commissioner’s programme, the representatives in the business delegation will hold several business meetings in the two countries and will participate in different events.  Commissioner Hogan‘s trip comes within the framework of the European Union’s promotion policy for agri-food products, designed to help producers sell their EU farm products in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, at the same time as delivering jobs and growth at home. Previous trips for Commissioner Hogan included visits to Canada (1-3 May 2017),Columbia and Mexico(8-12 February 2017),Vietnam and Indonesia(02-09 November 2016) and China and Japan(16-22 April 2016). The full visit’s programme as well as the list of the accompanying European agri-food producers is available online.