ARABPLAST is the world’s most premium show
• # 1 Trade Show in the region
• # 4 Trade Show in the world
• # 1 Trade show in the world for onsite machine and raw material sales
• In 2011over 156 Containers of machines came except two containers rest all were sold and went to the customer countries.
For Indian plastics and petrochemicals industry, ARABPLAST 2013 to be held at the World Trade Centre, Dubai from January 7-10, 2013, the event has a lot of significance. Says R P Kalyanpur, Executive Director, The Plastics Export Promotion Council, “ARABPLAST is one of the prime plastic shows for Plexconcil in the Middle East Region. Plexconcil has been participating in this event for the past several years. However ARABPLAST 2013 is different for us this time as we are organizing the Indian participation with active support from the Department of Commerce, Government of India under its Market Access Initiative. Moreover we are working with AL Fajer Information and Services (AFIS), organisers of ARABPLAST 2013 as an alliance partner in India mobilizing Indian participation at this prime event. Over 100 players from various segments of the Indian plastic industry shall be participating at this event.”
Says Satish Khanna, General Manager, AFIS, “We are pleased to work with Plexconcil and EEPC as our alliance partner from India, given the fact that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been among the top three trading partners of the Indian plastic industry. Further, Dubai being major trading hub in the region. To make this exhibition a grand success, AL Fajer Information & Services has partnered with Messe Dusseldrof, Germany.”
The Plastics Export Promotion Council or Plexconcil as is popularly known is a non-profit body under the Department of Commerce, Government of India entrusted with the responsibility of promoting exports from the Indian plastic industry. Plexconcil, therefore, represents the exporting community from the Indian plastic industry. Organising Indian participation at reputed international trade fairs concerning plastics and plastic articles, organizing Buyer-Seller Meets, seminars/workshops and other need based activities of member exporters are undertaken by Plexconcil in its pursuit to promote exports from the Indian plastic industry.
“Through ARABPLAST 2013, Plexconcil is not only targeting the UAE market bit also the entire Middle East and African Region whose businessmen are known to visit the event in the past,” says Kalyanpur. Plexconcil with support from the Department of Commerce, Government of India under its Maret Access Initiative has rightly targeted ARABPLAST 2013 for reaching a wide range of players in the Middle East and African regions. The strategy is to look into the future editions of the event so that Plexconcil provides a good platform for its participants to systematically plan its exports to this region, the Executive Director added.
Adds Khanna, “With all countries round the globe promoting manufacturing activity and given the strengths of the Middle East in the petrochemicals & plastics sector, participants will be exposed to immense business opportunities.”
Exports from the Indian plastic industry (excluding machinery) in 2011 were $ 7014 million accounting for 2.3 per cent of India’s total exports in 2011 which stood at about $ 307 billion. The top three trading partners for the plastics sector were China, USA & UAE accounting for 12.5 per cent, 10.5 per cent and 5.3 per cent of the total exports respectively. The major exporting segments were polymers; films/sheets and other packaging materials; woven sacks/FIBCs (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers); writing instruments etc. The Indian share in the UAE market in 2011 has been about 5.8 per cent in UAE’s import of about $ 4 billion preceded only by China 17 per cent; Saudi Arabia 16.8 per cent and Germany 6.3 per cent.
The plastic machinery sector too is expected to benefit from the participation at this event. The trend of setting up plastic processing units has also been observed in the entire African Region. Exports of various plastic processing machinery in 2011 have been about $ 175 million. Exports to the UAE accounted for about 3 per cent of this value at about $ 4.5 million. The machinery includes injection and blow molding; extruders and vacuum forming machines. Says Kalyanpur, “Plexconcil’s estimated potential in the Middle East is about $ 30 billion and Africa $ 16 billion. The present share is of the order of 3 per cent in both these regions. Plexconcil expects ARABPLAST as a vehicle to enhance this share in the future to come.”
