JAFZA’s showcases AED13.5bn Food Valley at Gulfood 2022
Jebel Ali Free Zone’s (Jafza) F&B cluster will be on display at this week’s Gulfood. The cluster plays an integral role in the UAE’s aspirations to achieve global competitiveness. Generating an estimated 20 per cent of Dubai’s total F&B trade, Jafza’s F&B cluster deploys and embraces the latest trends in food manufacturing and distribution, driving local food production in the country, contributing to the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051 targets.
According to forecasts by Fitch Solutions, food spending growth will accelerate in 2022, expanding by 4.3 per cent, up from 2.6 per cent in 2021. Food spending is expected to grow by an average annual growth rate of 4.2 per cent over the next three years (2022 – 2025). The increase in consumer spending will undoubtedly have a positive impact on production and trade, fuelling economic activity in the country. At a time when an industrial boom is on the horizon, support from business districts such as Jafza is integral to meeting this increase in demand.
Jafza’s integrated F&B cluster caters to a diverse array of segments in food manufacturing and distribution and is home to some of the world’s leading brands, including Unilever, Nestle, Heinz, McCain, Hunter Foods, Alokozay Group of Companies, Al Khaleej Sugar, Bayara, to name a few.
The free zone’s infrastructure is equipped to meet the ever-changing demands of F&B brands; from processing, manufacturing and blending, to seafood farming, packaging, trading, distribution, warehousing and office spaces.
The F&B markets account for an annual increase of 3.8 per cent, and the Middle East and Africa region are positioned as global gateways for Halal industries. Jafza’s Halal F&B Trade Incubation Centre in Jafza One offers premium benefits, lowering operational costs of halal foods businesses, thereby catering to the growing ‘halal foods’ sector, which is projected to reach USD739.59bn by 2025 as per predictions by Grand View Research Inc. At the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, Jebel Ali connects businesses to a growing consumer base and serves as an ideal hub to this import-dependent market.
Jafza’s infrastructure, centralised location and access to established trade routes have worked in its favour. Its 1.69 million sqm combined facilities consisting of plots, office spaces, LIUs and warehouses, have underpinned the growth of 584 F&B companies from 71 countries. DP World’s global logistics network aids customer growth, helping them target unchartered territories where they can explore business expansion opportunities. Additionally, boosting the local and regional F&B industry is Jebel Ali Port’s first-of-its-kind F&B Terminal equipped to process cereals, meat and seafood products, bottled water, and dairy products with specialised facilities for oil, tea, coffee, cacao, spices, and various primal food products.
