Dubai Wholesale City, a global integrated wholesale trading hub and member of Tecom Group, will be showcasing the light industrial units and refrigerated warehouses located at its dedicated industrial hub Dubai Industrial Park, during the Gulfood 2017 expo in Dubai.

A premier global annual food industry event, Gulfood 2017 will kick off tomorrow (February 26) and run  until March 2 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Dubai Industrial Park is strategically located next to Al Maktoum Airport and in close proximity to the Jebel Ali Port.

The city provides a traffic free environment with direct connections to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and the Emirates Road, providing easy and convenient access to global transportation points via road, air and sea.

Visitors at the Gulfood 2017 can view a cross-sectional scale model of the 1.5 million sq ft complex of light industrial units and refrigerated warehouses ranging from 5,000 to 11,000 sq ft that cater to the demands of corporates from the food and halal sector with a focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), said the company in a statement.

Furthermore, an interactive screen will highlight the industrial hub’s comprehensive portfolio of solutions that support investors and manufacturers in the food industry. These include industrial land, warehousing facilities, open storage yards, labor villages, offices, and showrooms, it stated.

Saud Abu Al Shawareb, the chief operating officer of Dubai Industrial Park, said: "The food industry is witnessing a strong growth in the GCC region with consumption levels expected to increase by 57 per cent between 2014 and 2030 due to economic and population growth as well as a surge in tourist numbers."

"The food industry is one of the main pillars of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 that we are working on implementing in collaboration with our partners. We are confident that our offering will help consolidate the status of Dubai and the UAE as a leading hub for the industry," he noted.

Gulfood is widely regarded as a gateway to vast business opportunities within the GCC region and international markets, valued at more than Dh5 trillion ($1.36 trillion) globally. With 120,000 sq m of exhibition space, this year’s edition features more than 5,000 exhibitors and expects to attract over 95,000 visitors from around the world.

"The light industrial units and refrigerated warehouses have been designed to suit the requirements of SMEs that play an important role in driving the growth of the food industry," stated Al Shawareb.

"In line with Dubai’s efforts to become a global hub for halal products and in view of the 20 percent annual growth of the halal sector, we aim to meet the demands of investors, startups, and SMEs active in this sector. Dubai Industrial Park is keen to support the growth of its partners and contribute to achieving Dubai’s vision to become the capital of Islamic economy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service