Food imports to MidEast to double in a decade

Food imports to the Middle East are expected to more than double in the next decade, HE Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, the UAE minister of foreign trade, said in a keynote speech at a Gulfood conference.

Al Qasimi predicted that the value of imports would grow 105% - from US $25.8 billion in 2010 to $53.1 billion in 2020.

The UAE market is likely to increase exponentially, as the population grows. She said that there will be a jump of $8.4 billion in the next decade, and annual food consumption will grow 5.4% year-on-year.

“For regions such as the Gulf, which imports around 90% of food to feed its people, there is an added urgency to secure sources that are both safe and sustainable,” added Al Qasimi.