FOOD and beverage consumption in the GCC region is expected to reach 52 million metric tons in 2019, said Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Industrial Park, during the conclusion of Gulfood 2017 in Dubai. Dubai Wholesale City (DWSC), a global integrated wholesale trading hub and member of Tecom Group, has concluded its successful participation at one of the region's largest global platforms specialized in the food industry. As part of its engagement in the leading event, DWSC announced the launch of light industrial units and refrigerated warehouses at Dubai Industrial Park. Spanning an area of 1.5 million sq. ft., the new project is designed to meet the demands of companies working in the food and halal industries across the region. Alongside the event, Dubai Industrial Park held several meetings with investors and business partners to highlight its integrated portfolio of solutions for the food industry, such as industrial lands, storing facilities, open spaces, labor camps, offices, and showrooms. DWSC's participation received high interest from the exhibition's visitors, entrepreneurs and SMEs. Al-Shawareb said "Gulfood 2017 provided us with an ideal platform to interact with public and private sector partners in the UAE and overseas, and introduce the investment opportunities and integrated industrial solutions that we offer to companies engaged in the food sector." "With food and beverage consumption expected to reach 52 million metric tons in 2019 in the GCC, the food sector is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the UAE and plays a key role in helping achieve the nation's food security goals," he noted. "At DWSC and Dubai Industrial Park, we play a participatory role in promoting the growth of small and medium enterprises due to their significant role in the food and halal industries. As part of this priority, the newly announced light industrial units and refrigerated warehouses at Dubai Industrial Park have been designed and developed to cater to the various requirements of SMEs." The Dubai Industrial Strategy places the food industry as one of its key focus areas, while the halal industry is an integral part of Dubai's strategic pillars that aim to transform the emirate into a global capital of Islamic economy. Dubai Industrial Park provides a wide variety of prebuilt warehousing units, storage and commercial facilities catering to enterprises of all sizes, as well as dedicated industrial plots where companies can custom-build manufacturing and logistics facilities as per their requirements.
