Six months, seven fairs that matter, and one rule: go to the fair where your buyers are, not the one that is closest or cheapest. Here is the calendar from October 2026 to March 2027 with dates, who buys there, and which Indian exporters should be in the room.

All dates below were checked against the organisers' listings in October 2026. Confirm on the fair's own site before booking travel, because halls and days do shift.

SIAL Paris, 17 to 21 October 2026

Paris Nord Villepinte. The big European food fair in an even year, with retail and foodservice buyers from across the EU, North Africa and the Middle East. Best for processed foods, ready-to-eat, snacks, spices, rice and ingredients with EU-compliant labelling. If you are not ready for EU labelling and residue limits, visit and learn; do not exhibit. This is also the fair to watch for how buyers are preparing for the India-EU trade agreement expected to take effect in early 2027.

IITF New Delhi, 14 to 27 November 2026

Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan. India's largest general trade fair, with state pavilions, a foreign participation section and over 7,000 exhibitors. Honest view: it is a domestic and consumer-facing fair, so it is weak for finding overseas buyers. Its real use for an exporter is different. It is the cheapest place to see what competitors from your state are doing, to meet the export promotion councils in person, and to check how your product and packaging look next to everyone else's.

Biofach Nuremberg, 16 to 19 February 2027

The world's organic food fair. If you hold organic certification recognised in the EU or the US, this is the single best fair for you, with importers who only buy certified organic and pay for it. Strong for organic spices, rice, pulses, oilseeds, tea, coffee, moringa, herbs and sweeteners. Without certification, do not go; every conversation starts with the certificate.

Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim, 2 to 5 March 2027

The US natural and organic products fair, driven by brands and retailers rather than commodity importers. Good for Indian exporters with a finished branded product, a US-compliant label and a plan for US distribution. Not the place for bulk commodities. Weigh the current US tariff uncertainty before spending on a US trip in 2027.

ProWein Dusseldorf, 7 to 9 March 2027

The international wine and spirits fair. Relevant only to Indian wine, spirits and craft beverage producers, and to bottling, cork and packaging suppliers. Listed here because it falls in the same week as Foodex and a combined Europe-Japan trip is possible for the few who need both.

Foodex Japan, Tokyo, 9 to 12 March 2027

Asia's largest food and beverage fair. Japanese importers are slow to decide, precise about quality and loyal for decades once they buy. Strong for tea, spices, sesame, cashew, frozen seafood, rice and health foods. Go only if you can meet Japanese residue and documentation standards and are prepared for a 12 to 18 month sales cycle.

Gulfood Dubai, 15 to 19 March 2027

Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, over 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries. The most important fair of the six months for most Indian food exporters, because the Gulf is the closest large market, the buyers are used to Indian products, and the same importers serve Africa and Central Asia. We have written a separate month-by-month preparation guide for Gulfood 2027 on this blog. Read that before you book.

How to choose, and how to budget

Pick one fair, not three. A visitor trip to a single fair with 12 pre-booked meetings beats three trips with none. For a first-time exporter the order of priority is usually Gulfood, then Biofach if you are certified organic, then SIAL or Foodex depending on whether your product suits Europe or Japan. Budget for a visitor trip at roughly two to three lakh rupees including samples, and for a small stand at several times that.

Whatever you choose, the fair is only worth it if you arrive with a landed price, retail-ready samples and a meeting list, and leave with a follow-up plan. Everything else is tourism.

How JB Experts works with you

JB Experts is a global export management company. Every export runs under your own company name and your own IEC. We manage the work and represent your company with buyers. We are not brokers or commission agents. You pay for a defined service, and every deliverable is written into your agreement.

Consultation, Rs 10,000 + GST: a 60-minute strategy call on your product, markets and next steps. Book at meeting.jbexperts.com/#/60min

Build With Me, Rs 1,18,000 including taxes: 12 months of live sessions, Monday to Friday, where you build your own export business with our team reviewing your work every week. www.jbexperts.com/build-with-me

Build With Me 121, Rs 6,50,000 + GST: the same 12-month build, one-to-one, shaped around your product and your buyers. www.jbexperts.com/build-with-me

Done For You, Rs 20 Lakh + GST for agro products and Rs 30 Lakh + GST for non-agro: our team runs your complete export operation for 24 months with a written 10x export turnover commitment. www.jbexperts.com/done-for-you

Export intelligence reports on specific products and markets: shop.jbexperts.com

Gulfood runs from 15 to 19 March 2027 across Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, with more than 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries. For an Indian food exporter it is the single most useful week of the year, and also the most expensive way to waste five days if you arrive unprepared.

This guide is for exporters of spices, rice, pulses, tea, processed foods, snacks, oils and ingredients who are deciding whether to go, whether to exhibit or visit, and what to do in the five months before the doors open.

Exhibit or visit?

A stand makes sense when you already have export-ready packaging, certifications for at least two target markets, and the production capacity to fill orders that come from it. Most first-time Indian exporters do not meet all three, and a stand then becomes an expensive photo opportunity. Stand costs, build, travel and samples for a small stand typically run into several lakhs before you have spoken to a single buyer.

Visiting is the right choice for a first year. A visitor badge, a hotel and a carefully built meeting list will get you more qualified conversations than a stand you are not ready for. Buyers walk the halls with a list of what they need; be on that list.

Who actually buys at Gulfood

Gulf importers and distributors, the ones who supply supermarkets, hotels and re-export to Africa and the wider Middle East. Retail chain buyers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. Foodservice and catering buyers. Private label buyers looking for a manufacturer who can pack under their brand. And a large number of African and Central Asian importers who use Dubai as their sourcing hub. The people at the stands next to you are mostly sellers; the buyers are in the aisles.

The five-month preparation plan

October: decide which products you are taking and get the paperwork straight. For food into the Gulf that means FSSAI, a valid health certificate route, halal certification where the product needs it, and Arabic labelling that meets the Gulf standard. If you are unsure whether your label passes, this is the month to fix it, not February.

November: build your buyer list. Use the exhibitor and visitor directories, the importer lists for each Gulf country, and your own research to identify 40 to 60 companies that already import your category. Write down what each one sells and who they buy from now.

December: price your products landed in Jebel Ali. Not FOB Mundra. Gulf buyers compare landed cost per kilo or per case, and if you cannot give it in the first conversation, the conversation ends. Prepare a one-page price list per product with MOQ, packing, shelf life and lead time.

January: start outreach. Email and call every company on the list with a short, specific message: what you make, your landed price, your certifications, and a request for a 20-minute meeting at Gulfood. Aim for 12 to 15 confirmed meetings. Book the hotel and flights now.

February: samples and materials. Retail-ready packs of every product, sealed and labelled exactly as they would ship. A printed price list, a product sheet and your certifications in one folder. Business cards with a WhatsApp number. Confirm each meeting a week before.

The five days themselves

Days one and two are for your confirmed meetings. Days three and four are for walking the halls of your category and the halls where your buyers exhibit, which for most Indian food products means the ingredients, pulses, grains, beverages and world food sections. Day five is quieter and good for second conversations with anyone who showed real interest.

Keep every conversation to three things: what they buy today, what would make them switch, and what they need from you to place a trial order. Write it down immediately after each meeting, with the name, the product, the volume and the next step. By the evening you will not remember which of the eleven importers wanted 25 kg bags.

Mistakes we see every year

Arriving with a catalogue and no price. Quoting in rupees. Bringing samples in a plastic bag rather than in retail packaging. Collecting 200 business cards and following up with none. Promising a shelf life or a certification you do not yet hold. And treating the fair as the goal, when the goal is the trial order that gets confirmed four to eight weeks later.

After Gulfood

Follow up within 48 hours with a short email that repeats the landed price and the next step you agreed. Ship samples within two weeks. Chase weekly, politely, until you get a yes or a no. The exporters who convert Gulfood into revenue are the ones who treat 20 March as the start, not the end.

How JB Experts works with you

JB Experts is a global export management company. Every export runs under your own company name and your own IEC. We manage the work and represent your company with buyers. We are not brokers or commission agents. You pay for a defined service, and every deliverable is written into your agreement.

Consultation, Rs 10,000 + GST: a 60-minute strategy call on your product, markets and next steps. Book at meeting.jbexperts.com/#/60min

Build With Me, Rs 1,18,000 including taxes: 12 months of live sessions, Monday to Friday, where you build your own export business with our team reviewing your work every week. www.jbexperts.com/build-with-me

Build With Me 121, Rs 6,50,000 + GST: the same 12-month build, one-to-one, shaped around your product and your buyers. www.jbexperts.com/build-with-me

Done For You, Rs 20 Lakh + GST for agro products and Rs 30 Lakh + GST for non-agro: our team runs your complete export operation for 24 months with a written 10x export turnover commitment. www.jbexperts.com/done-for-you

Export intelligence reports on specific products and markets: shop.jbexperts.com

If you want us to build your Gulfood buyer list, price your products landed in Dubai and run the meetings with you, that is exactly what the Done For You team does in the first quarter of an engagement.