Export
Issue No. 2 - September/October 2001
middle east mission
In late October, a diverse group of SA companies will visit the region that now shares top spot as the State’s largest export market — the Middle East.
Instigated by the Australia-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI) and timed to coincide with the Big 5 Building and Construction Exhibition in Dubai, the mission is aimed to give participants good opportunities to establish long-term trading relationships with middle eastern partners.
Mission organiser, Ray Najar, is a former national president of AACCI. Ray is a civil engineer specialising in water management and his Middle East experience includes advising farmers in Egypt and Lebanon, often as part of agricultural projects that have included soil and plant management advisors.
Ray joined Commonwealth Industry Minister, Mark Vaile’s mission to the region in 2000, which took 50 companies along. However, he believes the last full-fledged trade mission from South Australia to Dubai and the eastern Middle East was in 1985-too long ago. SA premiers have travelled to the Middle East since, but without wide-ranging business agendas.
So, this mission both overdue and timely: figures released last month show South Australian exports to the Middle East now share top spot with our exports to the USA. Holden’s $800 million exports to Saudi Arabia have grabbed public attention, but that amount is only half of the State’s export total.
“South Australia is very w...
