Abu Dhabi, UAE: Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) announces the participation in the Salon International de l’Agroalimentaire (SIAL), the largest food exhibition and innovation market place in the world, which is currently taking place from 19 – 23 October in Paris, France.
After attending SIAL Middle East last year in Abu Dhabi, this is the first time that ADPC officials are taking part in the exhibition in Paris, where they are participating as part of the UAE pavilion.
More than 150,000 visitors and food industry professionals from 200 countries are expected to attend the five-day-event which is showcasing around 1,700 innovative food products in competition.
“The food industry is one of the strongest industries in the UAE and has been growing continuously. As the population in the GCC has an annual growth rate of 3.2% and is forecast to exceed the 50 million benchmark by 2017, the food consumption across all of the GCC countries, especially in the UAE, is expected to grow significantly in the years to come”, Al Shamisi adds.
This year, the UAE’s food consumption already grew by 5.5% compared with the same period in 2013, according to Business Monitor International (BMI). The UAE’s food consumption between now and 2018 is expected to further increase with an annual growth rate of more than 6.9%.
Between 2014 and 2018, food and drink imports into the UAE are anticipated to increase by 28.3%.
“We are currently collaborating with nine main investors who focus on food packaging, food distribution and food & beverage logistics. These investors are in the process of setting up their facilities at Kizad and will considerably add to Abu Dhabi’s food industry and pick up on food processing”, Al Shamisi explains.
With its excellent market access and state-of-the-art infrastructure, Khalifa Port is set to support Kizad’s existing food investors who forecast an initial annual throughput of more than 150,000 tonnes, with further significant growth in food import-export expected in the upcoming years.
