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Fresh chicken and eggs have been preferred protein sources for the nation, and is a trend that is expected to sustain as the sector keeps pace with demand from a rapidly expanding consumer base
The UAE’s chicken meat consumption is projected to rise in 2022 due to a robust economic recovery. Imports are also projected to increase to 445,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022 as tourism, business travel, and events support a stronger hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) sector, according to the United Arab Emirates: Poultry and Products Annual.
Covid-19 related disruptions to supply chains and high prices in 2020 and early 2021 have driven industry consolidation, with a healthier trade emerging. The same disruptions, higher input costs, and other factors have stymied the UAE’s planned poultry production increases. The UAE’s poultry production in 2022 is forecast to remain unchanged at 56,000 metric tons due to higher input costs and a price ceiling curbing growth. The recovery in the HRI sector and strong Covid-19 mitigation measures are expected to drive 2022 consumption higher to 456,000 metric tons.
Consumers have become more aware of good claims on the packaging and are actively looking for local, fresh production that has no hormones, antibiotics, and is produced straight from the UAE farms, such as ours in Al Ain.
“The UAE’s poultry sector has been booming in the last decade,” says Willem van Walt Meijer, CEO, Al Ain Farms. “Fresh chicken and eggs have been the main source of good protein for the nation, and it is expected to further boom with the growth of the country. Consumers have become more aware of good claims on the packaging and are actively looking for local, fresh production that has no hormones, antibiotics, and is produced straight from the UAE farms, such as ours in Al Ain. The tastiness of chicken and eggs come from the fact that they are made here locally and delivered within 12 hours from farm to shop.”
Chicken consumption in the UAE was rising before the pandemic, and it has remained strong during it, and industry expectations are for another robust showing for chicken in 2022.
With more localised products, the poultry industry in the UAE will see more opportunities. With rising commodity prices, the whole industry is focused on keeping prices steady for the consumer.
“Local production is expected to increase to serve the growing needs of the population, as we see a massive shift from imported frozen to fresh options, especially in the range of portions and fillets,” says van Walt Meijer. “Consumers are looking for convenience in cooking, with added benefits of taste and health, and further opportunities lay in expansion of value-added segments, both in chicken and eggs.”
Jeanette Kristensen Alhaider, General Manager, Emirates National Food, hopes the poultry industry will remain stable in 2022 as new opportunities within the sector are geared towards more value-added products. “There is a push from the producers’ side towards localisation,” she says. “With more localised products, the poultry industry in the UAE will see more opportunities. With rising commodity prices, the whole industry is focused on keeping prices steady for the consumer.”
Ethical production, animal welfare, and protection of the environment have become as important to the consumer as food safety and quality.
The coronavirus crisis saw UAE’s poultry sector embracing new challenges, turning them into opportunities. Consumer habits during this time also started changing. “Two years of the pandemic has not only changed our world but consumer behaviour as well,”says Dr Suheel Ahmed, CEO, Arabian Farms. “Ethical production, animal welfare, and protection of the environment have become as important to the consumer as food safety and quality.”
Expo 2020, right at our doorstep has further set the bar very high for local producers to reinvent the processes on their path to growth and sustainability. “Fostering new partnerships, adopting latest technology, digitally transforming ourselves and thinking outside the box seems to be the only way forward,” says Ahmed. “Arabian Farms has always been a forerunner in setting trends in meeting the requirements of our loyal customer base and remain committed to do so in future as well. Our short-term strategic plan would be to consolidate the business to meet our esteemed customer’s renewed expectations.”
A senior spokesperson in Al Jazira Poultry says the poultry sector needed to put new mechanisms in place to ensure safety and quality. “Every step in the production system has to be perfect, from constructing a farm to delivery of the product to consumers,” says the spokesperson. “The principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HAACP) are applied at every stage to eliminate/avoid/minimise risks. As far as consumption habits are concerned, there is an inclination towards enriched eggs as they have important nutrients such as folates, choline and DHA, omega-3, vitamin E, selenium, and lutein.”
