Jafza records 24% growth in food, agri trade

Dubai - The free zone has a dedicated food and agriculture cluster of 1.57 million square metres with over 550 companies from more than 70 countries.

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza ) recorded trade growth of 24 per cent in food and agriculture trade and an increase of seven per cent in its customer base year-on-year in 2019, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The free zone has a dedicated food and agriculture cluster of 1.57 million square metres with over 550 companies from more than 70 countries, employing over 6,000 people. Around 38 per cent of these companies are from the Middle East, 23 per cent from Asia, 19 per cent from Europe, 10 per cent from Africa, 8 per cent from North America, one per cent from South America and one per cent from Oceania.
Jafza is home to some of the region's top players in the industry such as Bayara, Al Khaleej Sugar, Alokozay, Nestle, Heinz, Unilever, Hunter Foods to name a few.

"We have explored ways to further facilitate food trade and distribution while maintaining the continuity of food supply, which is crucial to the UAE and the region. Our mandate is to prioritise the needs of citizens and residents, and we have worked towards sustainability, ensuring sufficient food is available. We have ensured business continuity and a prompt recovery for the post Covid-19 economy," said Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and managing director, DP World, UAE Region and CEO of Jafza.
Dubai's external food trade volumes in the first half of this year reached nine million tonnes, representing Dh32 billion in total, whereas Dubai's food imports touched Dh22 billion.
Jafza has also introduced a Halal Incubation Centre to encourage traders to launch their halal business in Dubai.
- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com