Jafza facilities make it preferred F&B manufacturing hub
DUBAI, November 9, 2022
Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) has become the region’s preferred destination for F&B manufacturing, with a customer base of 600 companies from 70 countries, accounting for 20 per cent of Dubai's total F&B trade.
Offering multimodal transportation, the dedicated F&B cluster consisting of quayside, pre-built warehouses, and cool and cold storage spreads over 1.7 million sq m.
Three factors underpin the success of Jafza’s local and global customers -- innovation, scalable technology and partnerships, it said.
F&B manufacturers can reduce lead time through the free zone’s thermal insulated, purpose-built Light Industrial Units (LIUs) and warehouses. They can also achieve competitiveness by taking advantage of incentives such as zero corporate tax and VAT exemptions.
Another major benefit is access to digital trade platforms like ZADI via Dubai Trade. Launched in 2020, ZADI is a unified food import platform which has been key to facilitating the import and re-export of food shipments throughout Dubai ports, safeguarding the food supply chain from monopoly and disruption, it said.
DP World’s smart technologies also make logistics operations more sustainable and seamless for its customers. Through DP World Cargoes, customers can ensure transparent and simplified supply chains via 4PL solutions and services such as track and trace technology, trade financing, reverse logistics, feeder services and more.
Access to the GCC and beyond
Jafza, along with Jebel Ali Port, forms the Jebel Ali hub that offers unmatched one-stop-shop solutions, multimodal connectivity, and last-mile delivery. The free zone’s proximity to the port -- connected to over 150 ports and over 80 weekly services -- gives F&B companies access to 3.5 billion consumers globally.
The port acts as a gateway to high-growth markets in the Middle East, Africa, South and East Asia and the CIS Countries. DP World's ecosystem offers shorter transit times to larger markets, logistics to value-added solutions, and investment to end-to-end solutions. The company’s comprehensive range of products and services covers every link of the integrated supply chain – from maritime and inland terminals to marine services and industrial parks as well as technology-driven customer solutions.
DP World delivers these services through an interconnected global network of 295 business units in 78 countries across six continents, with a significant presence both in high-growth and mature markets.
Dedicated F&B Terminal
Further boosting the local and regional F&B industry is Jebel Ali Port’s Food and Agriculture Terminal. The 1 million sqm quayside terminal strengthens Dubai’s status as a key gateway for global F&B trade. It is equipped to process cereals, meat, and seafood products, bottled water, and dairy products with specialised facilities for oil, tea, coffee, cacao, spices, and various primal food products.
This year in July, two new development projects with Adroit Canada and Al Amir Foods at Food and Agriculture Terminal were announced to ensure a reliable, consistent, and safe agricultural value chain within the region. With an estimated investment of AED200 million, the facilities will have a singular ecosystem for bulk silo storage and agri-processing.
The facilities are expected to account for annual trade of more than AED900 million, contributing to Dubai’s strategic plan of boosting foreign trade to AED2 trillion.
DP World will also invest in the most versatile, technologically advanced and automated grains and pulses material handling and ferrying systems as part of the project, it said. -TradeArabia News Service