The Sultanate and Saudi Arabia are leading a fresh wave of investment in the Gulf's aquaculture industry, as increasing regional fish consumption gives investors a huge opportunity to capitalise on the fastest growing food processing sector in the Middle East.

Oman, which has long been at the forefront of aquaculture in the Gulf region, announced that it plans to invest $1.3 billion in fisheries development up to 2020, whereas the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Agriculture has said it would inject an additional $10.6 billion into aquaculture projects to produce one million tonnes of fish in the next 16 years.
The UAE, which has the world's largest sturgeon fish farm in Abu Dhabi, also has big plans, with the country's Ministry of Environment and Water expected to announce several multi-billion dollar aquaculture projects in the coming months.
It all points to what is now a booming sector across the Middle East, and one which is becoming increasingly popular at AGRA Middle East, the region's only exhibition covering agribusiness; poultry and livestock; fishing and aquaculture; floriculture and horticulture; and agricultural machinery and supplies.
Scheduled to take place from March 25 to 27 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, AGRA Middle East provides a comprehensive all-in-one platform for exhibitors to showcase their latest innovations to thousands of key regional decision makers.
Though traditionally dominated by suppliers of agriculture, horticulture, and poultry products and services, the three-day event has seen aquaculture related exhibition space more than double in the last year, and its organiser, Informa Exhibitions, expects this trend to rise further.
by 26 per cent year-on-year in exhibitor numbers, attracting 220 major players looking to meet an audience of key decision makers with a combined purchasing power in excess of $120 million.
The three-day event returns with two dedicated industry conferences; the Agribusiness Outlook Forum, addressing the key issues surrounding the mounting food.