On May 31, 2021, a webinar was held on the topic: "Russia - Bahrain. Food trade after the COVID-19 pandemic", organized by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the State Export Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the support of the “Russian Food House” in the UAE and the company "Incona".
The Vice-President of the MCCI, Mr. Suren Vardanyan, noted in his opening remarks that it is not the first time that the MCCI addresses the topic of cooperation with Bahrain. "The pandemic has caused an unpleasant and unexpected downturn to the economies of all countries and caused serious disruptions in both supply chains and previously established ties, but it has also revealed new areas of cooperation, which we will discuss today...
We sincerely hope that today's Conference will help to identify new ways of joint work, which can be implemented with the support of Russian and Moscow structures - the “Russian Export Center” (REC), the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture, etc. In recent years, Russia has markedly pulled ahead in the export of food products. This breakthrough is echoed in the countries of the Asian sector, the Persian Gulf, Africa and Latin America”.
Ms. Safa Sharif of Bahrain's State Export Authority, noted that governments and businessmen from all countries, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, are making efforts to restore "pre-crisis" cooperation. "Bahrain is trying to diversify its economy, developing exports and imports of many products and services," the speaker stressed. “Our market is open to international trade, we provide companies with comprehensive support. Our exports are now $80 billion, we are working with 51 markets around the world, including Russia, and we hope that 2021 will be a good year for business. Russia is one of the key areas of cooperation for us".
Mr. Alsari Faizal, the Head of the Food Safety Control Unit at the Kingdom of Bahrain's Ministry of Health, explained the activities and principles of the unit he heads, which inspects food shipments for compliance with the requisite standards. He reminded the audience that the importer must provide documentation of his product before delivery, and his company must be registered with the Ministry of Health. He also said that the Kingdom of Bahrain has aligned its standards with those of the Gulf countries and the system is constantly being updated. He listed the main standards that products imported into the region must meet.
The Executive Vice President of the “Riyada Group”, (Bahrain,) Mr. Sergey Tsvetkov, introduced the audience to the opportunities of Russian suppliers of goods to the Kingdom of Bahrain, calling it "one of the most favourable and friendly countries in the Middle East, which demonstrates a willingness to develop relations with Russia”. The speaker noted that Bahrain is not only a large market, but also a large production site for food products and invited companies to establish their production facilities to further develop exports to Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. He explained what permits producers need to look for and the certification system in Bahrain, describing it as "one of the most open in providing commercial information”.
Mr. Alexey Busev, the representative of the MCCI in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, Chairman of the MCCI Commission for foreign economic cooperation with partners in the UAE, Director of the “Russian Food House”e in the UAE, the General Director of "Incona" company, noted the growing interest and cooperation between Russia and Bahrain, introduced the audience to the market of Bahrain, its export and import performance in recent years, the “Russian Food House” activities in the region, told about the largest Russian exporting companies and expressed readiness to provide assistance to the Russian exporters. He reminded his Bahraini colleagues that it is easy to export from Russia to the CIS countries and told them about the largest Russian retailers.
Mr. Artem Daushev, the Assistant to the Head of “Rosselkhoznadzor”, acquainted the audience with the procedures of admission of foreign companies to the Russian and EurAsEC markets, including the new procedure of video inspection. He also spoke about the export of Russian products to the Persian Gulf countries: now the region is actively supplied with poultry, beef export is growing, dairy products and fish meal have been allowed to be exported, etc.
Mr. Sergey Vologodsky, the Vice President of the “Russian Export Center JSC”, told about the opportunities for Russian exporters to enter foreign markets. He noted that by the end of 2020, exports of the Russian agro-industrial complex amounted to more than $30 billion, which is 20% more than in 2019: 79.4 million tons of agricultural products were exported. Its main importers are Egypt, Turkey, China, India, Vietnam, et al. The speaker told about exporters' support programs (insurance, credit and guarantees, participation in foreign exhibitions, compensation for costs of certification and patenting abroad, etc.), the work of three foreign pavilions (in Dubai, Shanghai and the Ho Chi Minh City) and the REC "One Window" system, which simplifies the application procedures. "We are ready to cooperate with each exporter to bring goods to foreign markets," underscored Mr. Vologodsky.
Ms. Fatima Mahdi, of the Bahrain State Export Authority's Department of Export and Business Development Programs, gave a presentation on governmental measures to support Bahraini food exporters, including covering up to 20% of the cost of the first export transactions, export credit insurance, assistance with participation in international exhibitions, logistics, market research, etc.
At the end of the event, Ms. Safa and Messrs. Busev and Vardanyan thanked the organizers, participants and listeners, expressed desire to work together and the readiness to provide comprehensive answers to the questions of Russian and Bahraini businessmen, which can be asked by e-mail or on the corresponding websites.