Cyril Darkwa, head of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ghana office, is pushing for Ghanaian vegetables and fruits exporters to start exploring the opportunities of exporting their produce to the United Arab Emirates.
During a roundtable workshop for some of Ghanas exporters of raw vegetable and fruits organised by the Dubai Chamber for Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Ghana Export Promotion Council, he elaborated on the processes and requirements to be met in order to export their produce to Dubai.
According to Darkwa, the UAE provides Ghanaian food manufacturers and exporters with a gateway to access a market of more than 4 billion consumers across the Middle East and Asia.
He said: The UAEs fast-growing population and the rising number of tourists are driving up demand within the food and beverage sector, which is projected to grow by 4% annually to $13.2bn by 2018, while it has stepped up its efforts to collaborate with other countries on food security.
He also added: Agricultural commodities and foodstuff were among the top products traded between Dubai and Ghana in 2016, contributing around $22mn to total non-oil bilateral trade during the year. We hope to see that volume grow in the near future through our combined efforts and increased cooperation.
Darkwa noted that considering current trends with regards with vegetable and fruits export, now is the ideal time for Ghanaian companies to build bridges with their Dubai counterparts, and benefit from the emirates world-class logistics infrastructure and position as a trade link in the GCCs food chain.
For its part, Dubai Chamber remains committed to providing its 210,000 members with access to new trade and opportunities in promising markets. Our office in Accra is ready to provide all necessary support and resources to companies that want to trade with Dubai or use the emirate as a strategic hub to access markets in the GCC, Asia, and Europe,” he concluded.
The programme which was well attended saw some delegates meeting with senior officials from the Ghana Export Promotion Council and executives of prominent agricultural companies in the country. There have also been business meetings held with Agric association representatives from the public and private sectors.