Globally, many factors are impacting food security and agriculture including rising temperatures, decreasing water supply and geopolitical tensions. Food availability and food quality are also impacted. Combine this with supply chain disruptions and population growth, and food insecurity comes into a glaring focus.
Jafza, which is part of DP World’s Jebel Ali hub plays a pivotal role in food security at the regional level. It does so by securing stable supplies of food and beverages and ensuring supply chain efficiency, regionally and globally. While food and beverage companies benefit from the flexible and integrated system in Jafza, they can also take advantage of the robust service offerings of the Jebel Ali Port.
Business Incubators
Jafza provides multinationals and SMEs from the UAE and beyond with growth opportunities and access to the region’s markets. Its business incubation initiative specifically supports investors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to establish a business in the free zone and regional markets at the lowest costs.
The iconic Jafza One hosts two business incubators exclusively for food and beverage companies. The first is the Halal F&B Trade Incubation Centre which strengthens Dubai’s position as the capital of the Islamic economy. The second is the Latin American (LATAM) Incubation Centre which presents a gateway for companies operating in the Latin American region to enter the UAE and the wider GCC with ease.
Import and Export Licencing
Jafza offers a variety of import and export licences for companies specialising in the food trade along with well-equipped and furnished offices. The Jafza-issued trade licence enables companies to perform dual activities, which can potentially double the return on investment for businesses. Moreover, companies can make use of the many strategic partnerships, with companies such as Etihad Credit insurance and several leading banks, that Jafza has formed. This allows businesses to access easy financing for export of ‘Made in the UAE’ products.
Dubai Trade Portal
Once a company obtains a licence issued by Jafza, it will automatically get access to the Dubai Trade Portal. A single window for trade across borders, the integrated platform gives traders quick access to government services.
It also allows businesses to work efficiently with supply chains and get the best instant shipping rates from global shipping lines. The EDO Service (Electronic Delivery Order) allows shipments to be tracked from their starting point (country of origin) until they reach Jafza or the merchant’s warehouses in Dubai.
ZADI Platform
Dubai Trade’s ‘ZADI’ is an integrated service for companies importing and re-exporting food products. Users can view the best offers for products live from the country of origin. When reaching Jebel Ali Port, the products will go through a unified inspection process by Dubai Municipality and Dubai Customs, saving time and associated costs.
Food and Beverage Terminal
The food and beverage terminal in Jebel Ali Port includes world-class food and beverage processing facilities. Most notably, these include grain bins, food product storage warehouses, and dairy and meat processing facilities, in addition to tea and coffee processing, packaging, and canning facilities.
Comprehensive Warehousing Solutions
Jafza offers a plethora of covered, cooled, and refrigerated warehouses with flexible contracts for shorter and longer periods. Businesses rely on Jafza and its facilities to maintain strategic supplies of food and beverages across the world. Additionally, the container yards in Jebel Ali Port have electrical power supply points for refrigerated food product containers.
Regional Headquarters and Factories
Jafza’s current trade volume stands at 3.1 million Metric Tonnes and its F&B sector is valued at AED 15.9 billion. The free zone hosts more than 600 companies specialising in food products from 70 countries.
At their current make up, 48 per cent of Jafza’s F&B companies are from the Middle East, 20 per cent are from Asia, 16 per cent are from Europe, 9 per cent from Africa, 6 per cent from North America, and 1 percent each from South America and Oceania.
The free zone employs 6,800 employees and offers 1.70 million sqm of combined facilities to F&B businesses including plots, offices, and wareshouses. It’s key trading partners include Brazil, India, USA, UK, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq and its robust supply chain reaches all parts of the world.
Jafza provides fully serviced plots with all the necessary infrastructure to build state-of-the-art food and beverage factories. Many major global brands have established their regional headquarters in Jafza, including the likes of Unilever, Nestlé, Heinz, Bayara, and several others.
Logistics Corridor
Jafza-based companies can also benefit from the multi-modal connectivity by land, air, and sea through the Jebel Ali Port as well as the nearby Al Maktoum International Airport.
So, whether you are a budding startup or a global manufacturer, looking to drive the success of the food and beverage sector, you can rely on Jafza’s capabilities to accelerate business growth and help local, regional and global communities overcome food-related challenges caused by the disruption in the food supply chain.
“Companies can make use of the many strategic partnerships, with companies such as Etihad Credit insurance and several leading banks, that Jafza has formed.”
“While food and beverage companies benefit from the flexible and integrated system in Jafza, they can also take advantage of the robust service offerings of the Jebel Ali Port.”
- The free zone offers 1.70 million sqm of combined facilities to F&B businesses
- Jafza’s F&B sector is valued at AED 15.9 billion
- At it’s current make up, 48% of Jafza’s F&B sector comprise of companies from the Middle East
- 50% less water availability per capita by 2050
- 600 F&B companies operate in Jafza
- 70 countries doing business within the food sector