Dubai’s external food trade totalled Dhs52bn in 2020

Dubai external food trade reached Dhs52bn in 2020, according to data released by Dubai Customs on Monday.

Nassim Al Mehairi, manager of the statistics section at Dubai Customs said that last year, imports of foodstuffs were recorded at Dhs34.7bn, exports were at Dhs10bn, and re-exports were reported to be Dhs7.3 bn.

In terms of volume, the overall trade weighed 17 million tonnes – which included 12.5m tonnes of imports, 3.1m tonnes of exports, and re-exports weighing 1.3m tonnes.

“Food security is gaining more importance under the current circumstances, and the challenges posed by the pandemic which swept across the world,” said Al Mehairi, according to Dubai Media Office.

The customs office noted that during Ramadan there was an increase in consumption of different foodstuffs.

Different customs centers at Dubai Customs accelerated clearance of foodstuff shipments to ensure they are promptly delivered to the market.

Zadi (or my food) platform was a means for Dubai Customs, DP World and Dubai Municipality to cooperate with one another to facilitate food trade. Zadi is a unified food import platform aimed at facilitating the import and re-export of food shipments throughout Dubai ports.

Read: DP World launches platform to enhance food security, import in Dubai