Arabplast 2005 launched on March 20

21-Mar-05

Arabplast 2005, the Middle East's premier trade show for rubber plastics and plastic packaging, at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC). commenced on March 20. The Middle East is set to emerge as the world's largest producer and exporter of petrochemicals and plastics this year. This trend will be confirmed at the forthcoming ArabPlast 2005. The production of plastics in the Middle East is estimated to be growing faster than any other region in the world, with exports expected to cross 40 million tons by the end of 2005. The seventh edition of ArabPlast 2005 will discuss opportunities and challenges and focus on strategies for this dynamic and growing market. Highlighting the significance of ArabPlast 2005 to the global plastic industry, Satish Khanna, general manager, Al Fajer Information & Services, the organisers of the show, said: "The petrochemical and downstream plastics industry in the Middle East has grown substantially over the past few years, encouraged by its close proximity to competitive feedstock, which gives it an edge over other regions. The abundance of natural gas as feedstock in the Middle East, combined with its world-class export infrastructure and logistics, makes it the best choice for investments in the sector." "The region holds tremendous growth potential and is thus gaining considerable global interest. Technological advances and new trends are constantly altering the dynamics of this market. ArabPlast 2005 aims to address these issues and delve further into the prospects of this market," he said. The plastics industry in the Middle East is constantly evolving, given new initiatives and expansions of projects by regional governments, aimed at diversifying economies. The region, today, is the world's largest exporter, off-loading almost 80 per cent of its output to international markets. Additionally, huge volumes of imports are re-exported and distributed, he added. (A company press release)