MOIAT, F&B manufacturing group sign deal
The UAE Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology (MOIAT) and the UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group on Wednesday signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will commit to more than doubling the share of the F&B manufacturers’ contribution to the national gross domestic product.
The agreement was signed at the second edition of the two-day Future Food Forum in Dubai.
The agreement was signed by Farah Ali Al Zarooni, acting assistant undersecretary for Standards and Legislations Sector at MOIAT, and Saleh Lootah, Chairman of the UAE F&B Manufacturers Group.
“With the UAE’S population set to reach 10.5 million by 2030 and the global population set to exceed 9.7 billion by mid-century, there is an urgent need to find more efficient and sustainable ways of feeding our people, while protecting our planet and ensuring our shared prosperity,” Abdulla Al Shamsi, assistant undersecretary of the Industrial Growth Sector at MOIAT, during his address to the Future Food Forum 2021, said.
“The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology is preparing the UAE to meet this global challenge. We are aiming to help transform the national F&B sector into a global leader of a hightech, quality food producer and supplier. We are already a global food logistics hub. And we are aiming to place the UAE at the heart of the global F&B manufacturing industry,” he said.
He added: “A key enabler to achieving our shared goals is the proactive engagement between the public and private sectors. As a ministry, we recognize the intrinsic value of public private partnerships and we seek to work with partners to spur innovation and accelerate investments in R&D for F&B manufacturing in order to adapt to the technological needs of the sector, and ensure we are more than prepared for economies of the future.”
As per to the MOU, the two entities will focus on strengthening the ‘Make it in the Emirates’ initiative to increase the share of locally manufactured food products, enhance the sector’s competitiveness and explore opportunities to boost exports. They will work to increase the share of the F&B sector’s contribution to the national GDP by supporting the growth of national food industries and making the UAE a global centre for manufacturing.
The two entities will also cooperate to enhance technology adoption to increase the competitiveness of the sector, and to attract more investments related to food industries to enhance the UAE’S global leadership in the F&B sector.