"DP World" Reveal details "Dubai Food District"
DUBAI, 22nd January, 2017 (WAM) – Dubai Ports World Group, DP World, officially revealed the technical and design details of the Dubai Food District, in a step that represents a strategic expansion and comprehensive redevelopment of the Al Awir Central Market for vegetables and fruits, to transform it into the largest and most modern global food trade centre.
The project, which was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him” in July 2024, will include a broader scope to include the trade of vegetables and fruits, dairy and cheese products, luxury foods, basic foodstuffs, and specialized products, which enhances Dubai’s position as an integrated gateway for food trade on a global level.
The new project extends over an area of 29 million square feet, equivalent to more than twice the size of the current market, to form an integrated, multi-category center for food trade, aiming to strengthen food supply chains, expand trade capabilities, and support regional food security.
The Dubai Food District will be developed in several phases, with the first phase starting in 2027.
The region will provide an integrated system for the food sector, including advanced facilities for cold storage and temperature-controlled warehouses, primary and secondary processing centers, digital solutions for managing operations, in addition to wholesale and retail facilities, and a hall dedicated to luxury foods to serve the business and consumer sectors alike.
The Al Awir Central Fruit and Vegetable Market opened in 2004, and since then it has established itself as one of the most prominent food markets in the region, with more than 2,500 merchants supplying the markets of the UAE and the region with a wide variety of fresh products.
Based on this basis, the new expansion comes to preserve the pivotal role of the Al Awir Central Market in the food system, while enhancing its size, the efficiency of its operations, and the diversity of its food categories, which contributes to accelerating the arrival of products to the markets and reducing the risks facing supply chains in the food sector.
His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of DP World Group, said that the Dubai Food Zone will enhance Dubai’s leadership in the food trade sector by bringing together world-class infrastructure, global logistical connectivity, and advanced solutions in one location, in addition to enabling farmers, producers, and traders to access new markets with greater speed, greater efficiency, and greater sustainability.
For his part, Abdullah bin Damithan, CEO and General Manager of DB World GCC, said that with the increasing global demand for food and the pressures facing supply chains, the Dubai Food District represents a pivotal investment that keeps pace with these challenges, and was designed to be a launching pad for trade-based innovation in the food sector, and a major supporter of the country’s industrial strategy, which contributes to achieving a sustainable economic impact in the long term.
The Dubai Food District location has the advantage of multi-modal logistical connectivity, which allows suppliers and merchants to access more than 20 markets around the world through the global “DB World” network.
The project’s infrastructure is designed to enhance the flexibility and efficiency of supply chains, ensure their security and reduce their operational costs, enabling companies of all sizes to enter new markets more quickly and more efficiently.
DB World will display the Dubai Food District project during Gulfood 2026.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Related
