Dubai Food Imports Hit 8 Million Ton in 2021

People shop at a supermarket in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2020. - REUTERS/Christopher Pike
People shop at a supermarket in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2020. - REUTERS/Christopher Pike
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Dubai Food Imports Hit 8 Million Ton in 2021

People shop at a supermarket in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2020. - REUTERS/Christopher Pike
People shop at a supermarket in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2020. - REUTERS/Christopher Pike

Dubai has imported eight million tons of food during 2021 and re-exported 6.277 million shipments through all its ports, a Dubai Municipality press release revealed Thursday.

Food exports amounted to 3.272 tons to 157 countries last year after verifying their safety and compliance with food safety standards and requirements. This came after Dubai issued 78,812 food export health certificates.

Director of Food Safety Department in Dubai Municipality Sultan Al Taher said that these efforts comply with the municipality's responsibility for the continued flow of food imports to Dubai's markets and ensure the smooth flow of their passage through the ports following strict procedures, state news agency WAM reported.

"All food items must be registered within the regulatory system subject to the provisions of food control regarding local and imported foodstuff," he added.

"This ensures that the food reaches the consumer within the approved standards and specifications and helps control the follow-up of food."

According to Al Taher, all types of food are registered electronically through a global system that controls imported and locally produced foods in the emirate.



UAE, Malaysia Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

The agreement is designed to accelerate bilateral trade, promote private sector collaboration, and create new opportunities for investment in high-growth sectors. WAM
The agreement is designed to accelerate bilateral trade, promote private sector collaboration, and create new opportunities for investment in high-growth sectors. WAM
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UAE, Malaysia Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

The agreement is designed to accelerate bilateral trade, promote private sector collaboration, and create new opportunities for investment in high-growth sectors. WAM
The agreement is designed to accelerate bilateral trade, promote private sector collaboration, and create new opportunities for investment in high-growth sectors. WAM

The United Arab Emirates and Malaysia have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during a ceremony witnessed by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Tuesday.

The agreement is designed to accelerate bilateral trade, promote private sector collaboration, and create new opportunities for investment in high-growth sectors, WAM said.

The CEPA was signed at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

Sheikh Mohamed emphasized the significance of the agreement in strengthening the economies of both nations, noting that it is a pivotal milestone in UAE-Malaysia relations.

He remarked that Malaysia, with its fast-growing economy and pro-trade policies, is a vital partner in Southeast Asia. He noted that the agreement aims to deepen cooperation in key sectors, reinforce supply chains, unlock investment potential, and open new doors for the two countries’ private sectors to thrive together.

The UAE-Malaysia CEPA will reduce or eliminate tariffs on a wide range of goods, streamline trade procedures, and enhance market access for service exports. Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s fourth-largest economy, is already one of the UAE’s top trading partners in the ASEAN region, with non-oil bilateral trade reaching $4.9 billion in 2023 and $4 billion in the first nine months of 2024. The UAE is also Malaysia’s second-largest trade partner in the Arab world, accounting for 32% of Malaysia’s trade with Arab nations.

The agreement is projected to solidify the UAE as a strategic hub for Malaysian exports to the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond while opening the ASEAN market to UAE investors and entrepreneurs.

The UAE’s CEPA program is a cornerstone of its efforts to drive non-oil foreign trade to AED 4 trillion ($1.1 trillion) by 2031 and foster international cooperation with strategic markets such as the ASEAN bloc, which boasts a GDP of more than $2.9 trillion and a population of 647 million people.