M'SIAN FIRMS EYE INCREASED SEAFOOD EXPORTS TO UAE, MIDEAST

DUBAI, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- A 14-member Malaysian delegation is set to participate in the upcoming "Sea Food Expo 2009" in Dubai, billed as the region's only dedicated seafood event.

It is also part of an extensive plan to exceed the US$1.59 million in
seafood exports recorded by Malaysia to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in
2008.

The participation is also aimed at increasing the value of its
overall fish and fishery exports to the Middle East, currently at US$5 million,
according to Infofish.

Infofish is an inter-governmental organisation that provides marketing
information and technical advisory services to the fishery industry in the
Asia-Pacific region.

"With the Middle East fast becoming one of the leading hubs for halal
seafood trade, Malaysian companies are very interested in exposing their
high quality certified halal seafood products to prospective regional and
global customers in the country," Infofish director Dr S. Subasinghe said
in a statement.

Infofish, he said, supported member countries' participation at the
show as well as their aims to establish contacts with potential buyers in
the Middle East.

"This will highly impact their growth and development plans for the
halal seafood export industry to the region," he said.

Infofish was launched in 1981 as a project of the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and groups Bangladesh,
Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, DPR Korea, Malaysia,Maldives, Sri Lanka,
Pakistan, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Thailand.

Orange Fair & Events, the event organiser, said more than 200
companies from 33 countries are expected to participate in the Oct 12-14 seafood
show.

It said with an estimated 10 to 15 tonnes of seafood being auctioned
off within the Dubai fish market on a daily basis, the trade in
the UAE remained thriving amid the current recession.

-- BERNAMA