2020
LOGISTICS NEWSAbu Dhabi to house oneof the region’s largestwholesale food tradingmarketplaces at KIZADAbu Dhabi, UAE: AD Ports Group, the region’spremier facilitator of logistics, industry, and trade,has partnered with UAE-based multi-businessconglomerate Ghassan Aboud Group to establishone of the region’s largest multicategorywholesale food trading and logistics hub in KIZADin collaboration with Rungis.The ‘Regional Food Hub - Abu Dhabi, incollaboration with Rungis’, will bring togetherwholesale buyers, sellers, logistics players,consolidators, and distributors from across theworld, enhancing the diversity of all foodcategories available for consumers in the UAE andwider region.Rungis International Market is the largestwholesale fresh food market in the world. Itcurrently hosts 1200 companies, serves 18 millionconsumers, and has a turnover of EUR 10 billion.The project will partner with the world’s leadingwholesale market players to ensure the services,facilities and systems are world-class and the site issustainable, hygienic and a zero-waste ecosystemto cater to post-pandemic requisites.It will facilitate trade across proteins, seafood,pulses and rice, fruits, vegetables, dairy products,dry foods and fresh flowers. Food companies fromall countries can offer their products and buyerswill have a selection of thousands of fresh itemsmanaged in a safe, clean environment positioningthe UAE as an important part of evolving globalfood supply chains.Covering a land area of 3.3 sq km in KIZAD, theRegional Food Hub – Abu Dhabi will be one of thelargest of its kind in the region. Its ecosystem willfeature trading pavilions, logistics services,refrigerated and ambient warehouses, criticalgovernment services, waste recycling facilities andvarious other support amenities and services.The project is designed to accelerate thegovernment’s National Food Security Strategy andenhance food trade flow through Abu Dhabi. Bylowering the overall supply chain costs of foodproducts, the food hub will provide a competitiveecosystem for both local and global players.“Food security and safety are among the toppriorities of the UAE, and this major new trade hubwill drive efficiencies in food supply chains andhelp improve safety, affordability and sustainableaccess for wholesalers in the UAE. At ADDED, weare keen to support the launch of the ‘RegionalFood Hub - Abu Dhabi’ which enhances public-private partnership, as part ofour wider work to achieve a knowledge-based, diversified, and sustainableeconomy,” said Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Undersecretary of the AbuDhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), Chairman of LogisticsSector Development Committee in Abu Dhabi.Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, ManagingDirector and Group CEO, AD Ports Group,stressed the importance of this project and itsrole in supporting the UAE’s efforts to benumber one on the Global Food Security Indexby 2051. He said: “The development of newresources such as this, which will bringtogether leading local and global suppliers,supporting them with advanced innovation andworld-class infrastructure, is testament to ADPorts Group’s commitment to facilitate foodtrade in line with the key objectives of theUAE’s National Food Security Strategy thatwas launched by our wise leadership in 2018”.Ghassan Aboud, Founder and Chairman of the Ghassan Aboud Group, said,“We are committed to investing in the food value chain in the UAE and we areconfident that our partnership with the AD Ports Group will mark a pioneeringstep in the UAE’s food processing and distribution sector. The readily availableinfrastructure and value-added services will provide an integrated ecosystemfor local and global food commodity providers and deploy cutting-edge digitaltechnology to promote food-related innovation.”Stéphane Layani, Chairman & CEO Rungis International Market, the largestwholesale fresh food market in the world, said: “We believe that the challengesseen during the COVID-19 crisis call for supply chain management in whichwholesale markets play a strategic role.KIZAD provides a fully integrated trade and logistics platform for foodcompanies looking to expand in the region. Located near Khalifa Port, KIZADenables multimodal connectivity via sea, air, road and rail networks in thefuture, with world-class infrastructure as well as water and electrical power at acompetitive rate.Its integrated service offerings include aluminium, paper and packaging, andfood processing providers, enabling companies that use the food hub tobenefit from significant economies of scale in the preparation and transport oftheir products.21AirCargoUpdate