Dubai ruler launches $1.5bn Food Park

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the Dhs5.5bn ($1.49bn) Food Park development in Dubai Wholesale City.

The facility will provide “all food-related” services under one umbrella”, according to Dubai Media Office and will be easily accessible via air, land and sea ports.

Infographics accompanying the announcement state it will feature efficient operations, state of the art infrastructure and value added services with the ability to support re-export activity and future expansion.

Services available will include food inspection, customs and government, business and financial offerings.

The park will also facilitate repacking, storage and trading, with one render showing what appears to be a supermarket for consumers.

The announcement comes in anticipation of growing demand in the Dubai food sector, which is expected to expand from Dhs13bn ($3.5bn) and 2.5 million metric tonnes in 2017 to Dhs23bn ($6.2bn) and 4.4 million metric tonnes by 2030.

The sector supports 18,400 blue collar and 4,600 white collar workers and 2,500 businesses, according to government figures.