World’s biggest date factory housed in UAE makes inroads in Indian markets

This revelation came on Day 2 of Gulfood after the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between both countries marked its first anniversary recently

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Nandini Sircar

Published: Tue 21 Feb 2023, 5:46 PM

Last updated: Tue 21 Feb 2023, 9:54 PM

The biggest date factory in the world is making inroads into the Indian market now.

Al Barakah Dates, the market-leading dates processor, will process and export over 30,000 tonnes of bulk raw material from its factory in UAE’s Dubai Industrial City to an India-based leading food processing firm.

The revelation came on Day 2 of Gulfood after the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) marked the ‘signing’ of its first anniversary recently.

CEPA has eased businesses on both sides after greater market access through preferential tariff rates and benefits.

Al Barakah Dates factory, which is the world’s largest privately-owned date factory, is designed to process over 100,000 tonnes of date and date products annually – equivalent to almost half of the UAE’s entire domestic harvest.

Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Vice President of Industrial Leasing – TECOM Group, said, “The UAE and India’s trade history is coming full circle. The UAE is now an equal contributor to a long-standing exchange of ideas, crafts, cuisine and culture. CEPA provides a mutually beneficial corridor for UAE-based manufacturers like Al Barakah Dates to export to a large and powerful consumer market.

They are a formidable UAE-made brand, and one of our strategic partners. We are thrilled to see their factory and connectivity in Dubai Industrial City enable global expansion – it’s a great step to drive up trade and investment, in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda and ‘Make it in the Emirates.”

The joint venture with India-based Candor Foods Pvt Ltd, will employ Al Barakah Dates factory’s extended production capabilities and Dubai Industrial City’s strategic connectivity via air, sea, road, and soon, Etihad Rail, to meet the demands of one of the world’s biggest consumer markets.

Yousuf Saleem, Managing Director at Al Barakah Dates Factory, said, “This joint venture with Candor Foods gives us a solid foothold to develop the Al Barakah Dates brand in the Indian market and promote UAE dates and ingredients. The potential of the Indian market is immense, and our state-of-the-art factory in Dubai Industrial City is well-equipped to cater to this high demand with its impressive capacity and capability."

Additionally, Al Barakah Dates is increasing production capacity at its new 600,000 sq. ft. factory in Dubai Industrial City to produce innovative date-based ingredients and products such as liquid sugars, fillings and binders and ready-to-eat snacks. The materials will be transformed into retail-ready products at Candor Foods’ BRC certified facilities in Mumbai, India.

Meanwhile, market studies reveal that the dates market in India has been growing rapidly in recent years, driven by increasing consumer demand for healthy and natural sweeteners.

Yash Gawdi, Managing Director at Candor Foods, noted, “The joint venture with Al Barakah Dates Factory will help create a reliable and sustainable supply [of] dates and date ingredients to India. Al Barakah Dates has a proven track record in the dates business, and we look forward to combining our expertise to create a sustainable and socially responsible business that benefits all stakeholders including farmers and consumers.

It is worth noting that the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has opened new opportunities and a favourable environment for our Joint Venture to achieve its full potential.”

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