Mubasher: The Middle East is one of the “largest importers” of French dairy products, a research by the Centre National Interprofessionnel de l'Economie Laitière (CNIEL) showed.

Over $400 million out of the $8 billion of French dairy exports is sold to the Middle East, a figure that is continuously growing according to CNIEL.

Saudi Arabia has the largest appetite for French dairy in the Middle East with  imports worth $143.5 million, a share that rose by 157% for the past 5 years.

The Middle East came ahead of China ($354 million), North America ($270 million), Switzerland ($137 million) and Australia ($30 million).

 “As the number of French cheese exporters continues to grow, the market is becoming highly competitive and responsive to consumer needs,” according to Edwina Salvatori, Account Director, SOPEXA Middle East.

Cheese imports from France to Saudi Arabia almost tripled between 2011 and 2015 to reach almost 10,000 tonnes this year, the report mentioned.

There was a 21% rise in French cheese imports to the UAE during the same period, reaching almost 2,500 tonnes per year.