Amira Nature Foods, a leading global provider of packaged Indian speciality rice, plans to enter the organic food market in the UAE in the near future with increased focus on gaining larger market share across the EMEA region.

Amira has launched premium snacks in the India market. The product expansion into organic, snacks and ready to eat food has transformed Amira into a global food brand with presence in 27 countries, and with an overall footprint in 40 countries, a statement said.

The company which is headquartered in Dubai and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange has set up its own organic business in India.

Karan A Chanana, Amira Group’s chairman and chief executive officer said: “The Middle East market is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for natural and organic products because of increased awareness of the health benefits of going organic.

“Our range of organic products are all about quality and trust. Since we own the farms we ensure quality from the time the seeds are planted to the time it is on the shelves and each food product can be traced back to the farm and the farmer who cultivated it.”

A total of 3,660 farmers are associated with Amira cultivating organic food in more than 7,000 hectares of land. Starting with a large portfolio of 85 SKU’s which include dry specialty and basmati rice, specialty ingredients and primary focus on ready meals and ready to cook meals will be sold in stores across the region.

In addition to the organic range push, Amira will soon launch its range of premium snacks in the region, Chanana added.

Amira brand is one of the best known names in Basmati Rice, not only in the UAE and the Indian Sub-Continent but also in the entire Middle East, the US, Europe, and South Asia. The company plans to expand Amira’s foot print to over 70 countries by 2017 from 40 countries currently. For Amira branded products, the target is to reach 50 countries from 27 countries today.

Chanana also spoke about the recent acquisition of German company Basmati Rice, a speciality distributer of premium branded rice, particularly Basmati rice in Germany. Amira will use this acquisition to broaden the base of the company’s product portfolio across the European market and will bring the specialty Smoked Rice product made in Germany to the Middle East. – TradeArabia News Service