India-UAE cooperation to sow regional food security

Last Updated21/04/2023

The UAE, heavily dependent on food imports, has set the goal of achieving food access and supply chain crisis readiness.
India is a key partner in the UAE’s efforts to strengthen food security, given India’s status as the world’s second-largest food producer.
The India-UAE food security partnership stands to benefit from multiple points of convergence.

Global agri-export powerhouse: India has become a global agri-export powerhouse thanks to its vast arable land, favourable climate, and growing food production and processing sector
India’s role in global food security: India has demonstrated its evolving role in advancing regional and global food security by serving as a humanitarian provider of food to developing countries
Global food marketplace: India has invested in massive food parks and placed its food sector to benefit from bilateral trade agreements, reflecting a strong and sustained intent to make the most of its agri-capabilities in the global food marketplace

World’s largest food subsidy programme: India runs the world’s largest food subsidy programme, the Public Distribution System, providing nearly 800 million citizens with subsidised grains for daily, affordable meals
POSHAN Abhiyaan: India’s Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan is the world’s largest nutrition programme for children and women
3 C’s for instance: India promotes the consumption and farming of millets as part of its G-20 presidency, demonstrating its resilience focus to address the three Cs of Covid, Conflict, and Climate issues pernicious to food security in India and across the globe

UAE’s Commitment to Food Security: The UAE is focusing on the twin objectives of food access and readiness to confront supply chain crises.
Food corridor: The food corridor could potentially commence a route for foods made and processed in India, beginning their outbound journey on the Indian coast of the Arabian Sea, passing through the UAE, and towards major international markets.
Agri-trade for India: The corridor stands to emerge as a world-class template of successful agri-trade for India, while also unlocking greater productivity, efficiency, and growth for its millions of workers and employees.
Boost to food processing sector: The UAE’s private sector projects spanning its agricultural and food processing sector will generate lakhs of non-farm agri-jobs while enabling farmers to discover better prices for their products.
Diversified pathways to the global marketplace: Bolstered by the UAE’s infrastructural capabilities, India’s agricultural products will have more resilient and diversified pathways to the global marketplace.

Investment in Food Parks: UAE’s commitment of $2 billion in investment towards constructing food parks in India Anounced during I2U2 summit 2020. This investment will generate lakhs of non-farm agri-jobs, while enabling farmers to discover better prices for their products.
Access to Global Markets: The food security corridor established on the sidelines of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has the potential to establish a route for foods made and processed in India, beginning their outbound journey on the Indian coast of the Arabian Sea, passing through the UAE, and towards major international markets.
Direct Access to UAE’s Food Ecosystem: Recently launched Agriota, an agri-trading and commodity platform to link Indian farmers to food companies in the UAE.
This platform will give millions of Indian farmers the opportunity to directly reach out to the entirety of the UAE’s food ecosystem and stock their products in Emirati stores.
Infrastructure Development: A consortium of UAE-based entities are investing up to $7 billion in mega food parks, contract farming, and the sourcing of agro-commodities in India.
This initiative will include mega food parks, logistics and warehouse hubs, and fruits and vegetable hubs, which will bolster India’s agricultural products’ resilient and diversified pathways to the global marketplace.

Diversification of food reserves: UAE heavily relies on food imports to feed its population. The partnership with India will help UAE diversify its food reserves and reduce its dependence on a few countries for its food security.
Strategic location: UAE’s strategic location between Asia and Europe can be leveraged to serve as India’s food export gateway to West Asia and Africa region, and beyond. This could enhance the UAE’s position as a hub for food trade in the region.
Investment opportunities: The partnership could open up investment opportunities for UAE-based companies to invest in India’s food and agriculture sector, including mega food parks, contract farming, and sourcing of agro-commodities.
Better access to Indian products: The partnership could give UAE better access to India’s diversified agri-produce, enabling them to benefit from India’s large and growing food production and processing sector.
Infrastructural capabilities: The UAE’s infrastructural capabilities could strengthen India’s agricultural products’ pathways to the global marketplace, providing more resilient and diversified routes to the global food value chain.

The India-UAE food security partnership stands to benefit both countries, and the collaboration between the two nations can offer solutions to address food security issues in the Global South.
With the UAE’s infrastructural capabilities and India’s agricultural capabilities, the partnership can create diversified pathways to the global marketplace, generate non-farm agri-jobs, and enable farmers to receive better prices for their products.