The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and the UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group have inked a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) to more than double the contribution of F&B manufacturers to the national gross domestic product (GDP).
The agreement was struck at the two-day Future Food Forum's second edition.
Farah Ali Al Zarooni, acting assistant undersecretary for Standards and Legislations at MoIAT, and Saleh Lootah, chairman of the UAE F&B Manufacturers Group, signed the agreement.
“The UAE is preparing to tackle this global challenge, according to the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. We want to help turn the country's food and beverage industry into a global leader in high-tech, high-quality food production and distribution. We've already established ourselves as a worldwide food logistics hub. And we want to put the UAE at the centre of the global food and beverage production business."
"Proactive collaboration between the public and private sectors is a vital enabler to attaining our shared goals," he added. We recognise the inherent value of public-private partnerships as a ministry, and we seek to collaborate with partners to spur innovation and accelerate investments in R&D for food and beverage manufacturing in order to adapt to the sector's technological needs and ensure we are well-prepared for future economies."
According to the MoU, the two entities will work together to strengthen the ‘Make it in the Emirates' project, which aims to raise the share of locally manufactured food items, improve the sector's competitiveness, and find ways to boost exports. They will aim to boost the F&B sector's contribution to national GDP by promoting the development of national food industries and promoting the UAE as a worldwide manufacturing hub.
The two bodies will also collaborate to improve technology adoption in order to boost the sector's competitiveness and to attract additional food-related investments in order to strengthen the UAE's worldwide leadership in the F&B sector. They will collaborate to build food industry standards and technical laws so that the country can develop a world-class F&B manufacturing infrastructure.
"This is a milestone deal that will assist revolutionise the nation's food and beverage manufacturing industry by dramatically expanding its contribution to the national economy," said Saleh Lootah, Chairman of the UAE F&B Manufacturers Group. We are committed to supporting the nation's Operation 300bn plan and the 'Make it in the Emirates' programme as the apex organisation working to improve the competitiveness of the UAE F&B sector. The new MoU will aid in the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technology to improve our sector's efficiency."
Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman, Essa Al Ghurair Investments, spoke at a crucial event at the Future Food Forum 2021 about his role as a pioneer in the country's food and beverage production sector. He revealed how he overcome obstacles and flourished in difficult business settings in a fireside talk with Jessy El Murr.
"Creativity is the most crucial factor for the F&B business; we must be ahead of the curve rather than behind it," he stated. To help the industry flourish, we also need regulatory backing. Climate change is the industry's third major problem today. It is critical to concentrate on issues such as water security. Food and water security, in my opinion, begins at home, and we must concentrate on lowering water scarcity and utilising renewable energy."
The two-day event, which featured high-level keynote talks, in-depth panel discussions, and 'flash talk' sessions covering various elements of the F&B manufacturing value chain, drew over 500 industry executives. The value-add of digitalization, sustainability, the role of innovation, and the necessity to develop an inclusive culture to recognise the industry's evolution are all covered.