The Middle East’s food imports have topped US $25 billion, sparking top-level government discussions as fears rise over the future of agriculture in the region.
A high-level ministerial conference will address the issue and discuss the development of an integrated food policy specifically for GCC countries during SIAL Middle East, the regional version of the world’s largest food exhibition.
Agriculture, finance, environment and trade ministers from the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Romania, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan will convene in a special keynote session during the expo.
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They will discuss common GCC standards for food risk assessment and safety, nutrition, emergency response, and effective communication procedures for imminent risk.
A big focus will be food developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the GCC’s largest food importer with spending of more than US$17 billion. The food industry accounts for around 13% of total imports and represents the country’s fourth largest import sector.
The reasons behind the surge in domestic Saudi food demand include high population growth, steady rise in tourism, the suspension of local wheat production, and the need for more foreign workers to support a growing number of projects.
“GCC countries import around 90% of their food products so they are constantly searching for better and more convenient sources,” said Fadi Saad, director of SIAL Middle East at Turret.
“A positive movement we are witnessing is the region’s growing interest in creating a unified food policy. Such a policy would highly benefit Gulf residents as it would set standards for ensuring the sustainability, safety and quality of outsourced foods.”
The first edition of SIAL Middle East takes place from November 22 – 24 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
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