His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the Minister of Economy and Tourism, led a delegation of prominent national companies from the food and agriculture sectors to Switzerland. The aim was to learn about global best practices and experiences in establishing innovative food systems, enhancing economic food clusters, and fostering research and development to adopt sustainable solutions in the food sector.
The visit included participation in an event titled “Empowering Innovation in the Food Sector and Building Food Clusters for a Sustainable Economic Future,” held at the headquarters of Bühler Group, a global leader in industrial and food solutions, in the Swiss city of Uzwil. It was attended by representatives from the private sector, experts, and decision-makers from the food sector, along with Swiss food institutions.
Al Marri stated that the UAE, under the wise leadership’s guidance, has embraced an ambitious strategic vision aimed at developing an innovative and integrated model for the food economic cluster. This integration into the national economy represents a promising direction that contributes to enhancing economic and industrial integration. This model serves as a strong catalyst for promoting sustainable development, increasing productivity, and diversifying the economy by connecting various sectors involved in value and production chains. This approach creates broader economic impacts reaching related areas such as agriculture, food manufacturing, transportation, and logistics, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a leading global hub for food industries and advanced economic activities.
In his speech during the event, he expressed, “Our objective in adopting the economic food cluster model is to nurture a new generation of producers and farmers who possess high levels of expertise and knowledge in food and agricultural practices.” He anticipates that this model will contribute an additional 10 billion dirhams to GDP over the next five years, increase trade volume by 15 billion dirhams, and create 20,000 jobs, in line with the goals of the UAE Vision 2031 to position the country among the top ten in global food security index.
He highlighted the significant growth in the UAE’s food sector, noting that by the end of the first half of this year, there were 40,486 registered national and foreign brands operating in food activities. The value of the UAE’s trade in food goods was 148.6 billion dirhams in 2024, reflecting a growth of 16.8% compared to 127.2 billion dirhams in 2023. Furthermore, food exports from the UAE saw an increase of 10.9%, reaching 24.2 billion dirhams last year compared to 2023.
He pointed out that this event represents a new step towards exploring collaboration opportunities between food companies and the food industries in the UAE and Switzerland, focusing on economic food clusters and the associated digital technologies and solutions, as well as gaining insights into the Swiss food innovation ecosystem, especially given that Uzwil is recognized as an important center for food innovation.
The delegation also explored the pioneering experience of the “Swiss Nutrition & Food Valley,” an advanced model for food clusters, developing sustainable and effective food solutions that align with sustainable development goals and play a crucial role in enhancing Switzerland’s status as a global leader in sustainable nutrition, innovation, and food health.
The event featured several panel discussions and presentations on the importance of strengthening international partnerships and intensifying efforts to exchange knowledge and expertise to advance innovation in the food sector.
Discussions highlighted global initiatives and projects aimed at building a sustainable food system, emphasizing Switzerland’s significant role in international food innovation and its active contribution to future trends in food clusters and networks.