JEDDAH — The number of factories operating in the GCC food industries sector increased from 1,606 in 2010 to 1,965 in 2014, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%, the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) said in its latest “GCC Food Industries' Directory 2015”. During the same period, investments jumped from $13,688 million to $23,757 million, a five-year CAGR of 14.8%, while the labor force increased from 159,613 workers to 238,825 workers, a CAGR of 10.6%. GOIC Secretary General Abdulaziz Bin Hamad Al-Ageel said the sector represents approximately 12.1% of the total manufacturing industries, about 6.2% of the total investments and 15.6% of the total manufacturing labor force. He highlighted the importance of food industries in GCC countries in terms of achieving Gulf food security. Al-Ageel explained that the GCC industrial directories complement the valuable series of publication issued by GOIC. In fact, the GCC Food Industries Directory is the second to be published after the GCC Petrochemical Industries Directory. In this regard, GOIC Secretary General said: “The food industries sector is one of the main pillars of a sturdy economy; it is an important sector that is based on agricultural activities and developing animal resources and fisheries. Thus, GOIC endeavored to provide concerned parties with a variety of easily accessible data on these industries in a scientific fashion in accordance with international standards in the area of directories.” Furthermore, Al-Ageel stressed GOIC's key role in the areas of consulting services, researches and studies. He reiterated GOIC's commitment to providing documented and updated outputs prepared by its experts based on its developed databases. He hoped this publication would become a reference material enriching the GCC economic library and helping decision makers, researchers, investors and all stakeholders in their efforts to develop the economy of the region. According to ISIC, the food industries include several industrial activities as follows: processing and preserving of meat, processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and mollusk, processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables, manufacture of vegetable and animal oils and fats, manufacture of dairy products, manufacture of grain mill products, starches and starch products, manufacture of other food products, manufacture of bakery products, manufacture of sugar, manufacture of cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery, manufacture of macaroni, noodles, couscous and similar farinaceous products, manufacture of prepared meals and dishes, manufacture of other food products n.e.c, manufacture of prepared animal feeds, manufacture of soft drinks, production of mineral waters and other bottled waters and manufacture of tobacco products. Since its very foundation, GOIC has always endeavored to spread knowledge and provide data relating to the industrial sector. It targets the largest pool of stakeholders, policy makers, decision makers, investors and researchers in this area. GOIC's objective is to make valuable data accessible to these parties in a variety of top-notch methods. — SG
