Dubai: Dubai’s food manufacturing base is expanding and supporting the emirate’s endeavour to export food products to the region, according to Hassan Al Hashemi, Vice-President, International Relations, at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The UAE re-exports over half of its imported food to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which can be further expanded, Al Hashemi said in a statement.
“Dubai is a significant link in the GCC’s food chain. The emirate is the region’s major re-exporting hub, supported by strong logistics and well-established transportation routes. Domestically, Dubai also has a vibrant F&B [food and beverage] sector that will continue to grow at its current fast pace supported by widespread developments across the emirate,” he said.
He also pointed out Dubai’s strong potential to develop its position as a leading halal food hub in line with its vision to become the capital of the Islamic economy. This will create opportunities in the halal food industry and support the growth of the food and beverage sector, he said.
The UAE fresh food sales are forecast to increase from around 2.8 million tonnes in 2015 to around 3.6 million tonnes in 2019, he said. Meanwhile, the retail value of packaged food sales is expected to rise from around Dh16 billion in 2015 to around Dh23.1 billion by 2019, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 10 per cent during this period.
He also said that Dubai is looking to establish partnerships with food growers in Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), using Dubai as a production base.
