Dubai - The Slovenian pavilion at the Dubai Expo hosted a business forum of the country's food processing industry on Monday. It was attended by Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek, who said that his visit to the United Arab Emirates was also about looking for new business partners.

The event heard that Slovenia is one of the greenest and most sustainability-oriented countries in the world, which also results in the production of food of exceptional quality and reliability that meets strict safety requirements.

The participants of the forum, featuring more than 20 companies, agreed that this is precisely what consumers in the UAE and in the broader region are looking for.

Attending the event, Minister Podgoršek said the purpose of the forum and of his visit of the Expo was to present the advantages of the Slovenian food processing industry and look for new partners.

He noted that he would sign a major memorandum with counterparts from the UAE on Tuesday that would be a new step in cooperation in sustainable food production and promotion of Slovenia's food processing industry in that country.

Janez Rebec, the head of the Chamber of Agricultural and Food Enterprises and director of the fish processing company Delamaris and the poultry producer Pivka Perutninarstvo, said the industry had high expectations in the UAE and the region.

"It is a showroom region, where all global companies are present. The Slovenian food industry also wants greater presence and sales here," he said, expressing the hope that the funds invested in promotion would improve the currently modest sales.

Agrarian economist Aleš Kuhar presented agricultural and food production in Slovenia, as well as the key rules and standards that have helped maintain food produced in Slovenia at a high level in global terms.

After the forum, which was also attended by representatives of many companies from the Persian Gulf, the Slovenian delegation numbering more than 44 executives will hold a number of bilateral meetings until 16 February.

Minister Podgoršek and the delegation will also visit Gulfood, the largest specialised food fair in the region.