The United Arab Emirates and India aim to treble the volume of their food trade in the next five years. Optimism in achieving this goal was expressed by a multitude of speakers from the government and private sectors in both countries at the "UAE-India Food Security Summit 2020," a two-day hybrid event, which began on Tuesday. The summit brings together about 200 businessmen, representatives of state-owned organizations, investors, and other economic enterprises from the UAE and India. It follows a hybrid format as several of the Indian participants, including state ministers and officials, has traveled to Dubai for business meetings while other participants are making their contributions virtually. Addressing the summit in person, Punjab's minister for non-resident Indian affairs, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, said the UAE and India are ideal partners for the food industry because his country is 70 percent agrarian while the UAE is a pioneer in food security strategy. Navin K. Choudhary, principal secretary for agriculture in the government of Jammu and Kashmir, who is leading a 20-member business delegation to the UAE from the union territory, also addressed the summit in person. The delegation has just completed a "fruitful" meeting with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. A key focus of the team is to promote apples from the union territory in the UAE market. Dr. Ahmed Al Banna, UAE's ambassador to India, told the summit that the UAE has the potential to be the "gateway to the world" for India's food and agriculture products exports. He described the subjects being discussed over two days at the summit as being "close to our hearts" and revealed that a lot of work between the two sides has been done with common goals since the disruptions of COVID-19 began. He hoped that a scheme for production-linked incentives, PLI, recently approved by India's cabinet will give a shot in the arm for Indian exports to the UAE, which is India's third-biggest trade partner for the seventh consecutive year. Underlining the importance of the summit's theme, Pavan Kapoor, India's ambassador to the UAE, said this was the third event focused on food trade between the two countries in four months. "India wants to work with the UAE as a reliable partner in food security" as demonstrated by the movement of crucial cargo by air throughout the pandemic. He said India had amended its Essential Commodities Act and allowed exports of critical food items like cereals, pulses, and edible oils. He referred to growing UAE investments in India's food parks. Underlining the "immense and untapped potential" of the food sector in bilateral business, Dr. Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai, the chief organizer of the summit, remarked that UAE-India partnership in food trade can strengthen food security in the entire Middle East and North Africa region. — WAM
