Food import ban will not affect UAE market during Ramadan

The UAE’s ban on the import of agricultural products from certain Arab countries will not impact the local market during Ramadan, according to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

In April, the Ministry announced a ban on the imports of specific vegetables and fruits from five Middle Eastern countries over concerns about high levels of pesticides.

The ban, which came into effect on May 15, applied to products from Egypt, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen.

The ministry reiterated that the ban will not affect the market in terms of quantity or quality, as there are alternative markets for importing the products, reported official news agency WAM.

Products are now being imported from Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, The Netherlands, Malaysia, New Zealand, US, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, in addition to Turkey, France, Italy, Spain, and other exporting countries, the ministry said.

It added that local products are also meeting the demands of the market.

The UAE is seeing healthy production of vegetables such as zucchini (18,500 tonnes), eggplants (18,555 tonnes), cauliflower (11,320 tonnes), cabbage (13,420 tonnes), pepper (4,000 tonnes) and leafage (8,000 tonnes).

The ministry stressed its keenness, along with local authorities, to provide healthy and safe food to consumers.