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UAE Freezones Biz News Updates
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UAE organic and natural products market is growing says free zone
director
Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, Director of the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority,
HFZA, and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, SAIF Zone, has said that
the shift of consumer preference for organic products in the Middle East,
and the UAE's position as the second largest market for organic food in the
region, has made the sector integral to the UAE free zones.
Saud Al Mazrouei made the comments during his participation in a two-day
Natural and Organic Products Europe exhibition in London recently.
The Director of HFZA, who led a delegation to the event, said,"The gradual
shift of the consumer’s preference for organic food and products in the
Middle East and the current position of UAE as the second largest market for
organic food in the Middle East, has made this sector integral to us and it
is our goal to promote and become one of the major pillars for the organic
sector in the coming years."
"HFZA's participation in this year’s Natural and Organic Products is a start
for us to understand the sector further and interact with potential
investors," he added.
Quoting a report by Frost and Sullivan, Al Mazrouei said that organic
farming in the GCC is set to reach US$1.5 billion by 2018 , driven by
evolving consumer tastes and a change in health habits.
In the UAE, the number of organic farms rose to 39 at the end of 2013,
covering a total of 3,920 hectares, compared with just 218 hectares in 2007,
he said. In general, the demand for organic food in the Middle East and
North Africa is increasing.
"HFZA is facilitating the set-up of more food industries in the zone to
increase their growth in the MENA region, because of the strategic position
and advantages it has to offer, in addition, the UAE is emerging as a major
food re-exporting hub in the world, making HFZA all the more attractive as a
destination for investors to expand there business and tap in to new
business opportunities through the region," he said.
The Natural and Organic Products Europe exhibition that took place at ExCeL
London on April 19th-20th, featured 600 exhibitors showcasing thousands of
natural and organic brands, including supplements, botanicals, superfoods,
THR mark herbal medicines, homeopathic remedies, personal care and beauty,
eco-household, and food and drink.
Apr 23, 15
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Courtesy Emirates News Agency
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