Leading business and logistics hub sees its customer base grow by 7%
Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) recorded a total trade growth of 24% and an increase of 7% in its customer base year-on-year in 2019, reinforcing its status as a preferred destination for businesses related to food and agricultural commodities.
The Free Zone has a dedicated Food and Agriculture cluster of 1.57mn sqm with over 550 companies from more than 70 countries, employing over 6,000 people. Thirty-eight per cent of these companies are from the Middle East, 23% from Asia, 19% from Europe, 10% from Africa, 8% from North America, 1% from South America and 1% from Oceania.
The strategic location and premium facilities of JAFZA have made it the preferred destination for many countries globally—including Brazil, the USA, Pakistan, Netherlands and South Africa, importing sugar, meat, cocoa, and dairy products. Meanwhile, Iraq, India and Saudi Arabia are among the top export destinations, exporting coffee, tea, fruits, spices and dairy products.
Food security
“We have explored ways to further facilitate food trade and distribution while maintaining the continuity of food supply, which is crucial to the UAE and the region. We have worked towards sustainability, ensuring sufficient food is available,” asserted Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO & Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region and CEO, JAFZA.
“In line with the newly launched UAE Sustainable Agriculture System, we aim to support the increase of self-sufficiency from agricultural production and workforce in the agricultural sector,” he continued.
DP World, UAE Region’s multimodal connectivity reinforces Dubai’s long-term commitment to maintain the growth and development of regional trade. Thanks to JAFZA’s strategic location near Jebel Ali Port, it offers connectivity to over 3.5bn consumers.
Seamless integration
With a reputation as one of the world’s finest locations for companies to establish their businesses and grow, the free zone ensures flexible services through Dubai Trade, DP World, UAE Region’s single window platform for cross-border trade.
To make it easier for investors and business owners in times of Covid-19, smart services from Dubai Trade include the ‘E-Delivery Order’ to allow supply chain stakeholders to handle their complex import processes and ZADI, an innovative unified food import platform aimed at facilitating the import and re-export of food shipments throughout Dubai ports.
With JAFZA, food and agricultural businesses can benefit from advanced packaging solutions, and avail pre-built warehouses for high quality storage. It has also introduced a ‘Halal Incubation Centre’ to encourage traders to launch their halal business in Dubai.
