Maitex 2012: New Niches, New Locations

The international fair Mauritius International Trade Exhibition (Maitex) 2012 ends this afternoon, Swami Vivekananda at the center. Already, exhibitors displayed Mauritian satisfaction and say they are confident they can be successful penetration into new markets that are African countries with which Mauritius has been very little commercial ties, if any, in some cases. Zanzibar, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola have enormous potential that Mauritian producers propose to use.

Companies that participated in the fair organized by Enterprise Mauritius say they are ready to soar to new heights after a satisfactory initial contact with buyers who moved to Mauritius at the invitation of the organization led by Amedeo Darga.

Following the example of Innodis. Who established promising contacts with buyers from Burundi and Zanzibar but also of the Comoros. Buyers who even took advantage of their presence in Mauritius to visit the facilities of the company whose leaders hope to achieve the initial contact with you soon contracts in due form for the export of frozen chicken and dairy products.

"We were the first to export frozen chicken to Africa. We know this is possible and we believe in, " says Dora Canarapen, an executive at Innodis.

The producer of chicken and dairy products would also export its know-how to African countries. And again, the first surveys were very positive.

"Besides we have already offered our technical services in the field of agri-food companies based in Nigeria and Angola,"adds Dora Canarapen.

Similarly, Moviprove Ltd, specialist hygiene products for home, having soon export its products to Burundi, Comoros and Rwanda.

Harel Mallac Group, which has very good foundations in Africa, has leveraged its experience to take advantage of the fair Maitex 2012. Desire Tsang, Export and Business Development Manager at Harel Mallac, is convinced of the potential of Africa.He is already thinking of exploratory visits where he plans to meet buyers who have demonstrated an interest in the products and services offered by its group.

"Importers I met during this show gave me an insight into the potential of their countries. It is now up to track and demonstrate that we are serious suppliers. Mauritius company has done its job in bringing us up to the buyers. Now we must take advantage of opportunities offered to us, " Desire Tsang argues with some confidence.

And what about the difficulties facing local operators in these new markets? Those responsible for Mauritian exporters do not seem like a big deal. Certainly they are aware of the challenges they will soon face, but confidence is required. They prefer to highlight the benefits they intend to operate. Quality products and support services as well as the adaptability of our business, they say, are tremendous assets for us to measure the amount of monsters such as China and Brazil that are already present in these markets.

"Competition is not new. No matter where you go in the world it will be a constant element. It will be in marketing that will be played. We rely not only on quality but also on long-term relationships we build with our customers, " adds Desire Tsang who said that the group's presence Harel Mallac the African market is several decades old.

"We can consider Brazil to compete in these markets by focusing on quality. We can also rework our products at the request of the buyer. Products that are already certified Halal coupled with a quality certification at several levels. Also we will build on the proximity to our market, " explains, for its part, Dora Canarapen.