WELLINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is pushing food and agriculture cooperation with the Arabian Gulf states as his government strives to clinch a stalled free trade deal.
Guy, currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is due to hold talks with Minister for Climate Change and Environment Thani Al Zeyoudi and Minister of State Rashid Fahad, to discuss food standards and safety.
The meetings would highlight many areas of future cooperation between New Zealand and the UAE, in particular investment in agritech, water management and food security, Guy said in a statement from his office Wednesday.
Guy was also supporting New Zealand companies at Gulfood, the world's largest food trade show in Dubai, to signal the importance of New Zealand's relationships with the UAE, Gulf countries and the wider region.
"Finalizing the New Zealand GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) free trade agreement is an important next step to enhance our trade, including food and beverage, even further," Guy said.
Annual two-way trade with GCC countries exceeded 3.2 billion NZ dollars (2.29 billion U.S. dollars).
"Food and beverage is an important part of our trading relationship, built upon the complementarity of New Zealand's high quality food offering and many Gulf countries' food security needs," he said.
New Zealand had traditionally been associated with dairy and meat exports, but the list of available food products in the UAE retail sector continued to grow, rising from 13 products in 2013 to 90 in 2017.
"A number of our businesses already have a strong presence in this market and are doing exceptionally well selling New Zealand food and beverage products. My visit is aimed at opening doors and helping to further promote New Zealand companies," he said.
Guy is the latest in a train of senior New Zealand ministers visiting the Gulf to try to kickstart the stalled trade agreement.
In January, Trade Minister Todd McClay visited Kuwait and the UAE in a bid to finalize a agreement, which has been under negotiation since 2009.
The GCC comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, is New Zealand's eighth largest trading partner.
In September last year, New Zealand and Saudi Arabian leaders appeared to have overcome stumbling blocks towards a long-anticipated FTA, after McClay held talks with Saudi Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi and they agreed to work towards its early completion.
In 2015, then New Zealand Prime Minister John Key visited the GCC states, and said Saudi Arabia was going to be the stumbling block to the deal.
It was believed that Saudi government took umbrage over New Zealand's ban on exports of live sheep, a trade in which Saudi businesses had invested heavily.
However, a controversial New Zealand government-funded agri-hub, including live New Zealand sheep, established in Saudi Arabia in 2013 had helped clear the way for a free trade deal, Key said.
