DOHA: The GCC food import demand is expected to hit $53.1bn by 2020, up from $25.8bn a decade ago, said a report on Muabsher.info website.
With their 80-90 percent dependence on imported food, the impact of price increases caused by poor harvests, political instability, supply chain interruptions and a non-agricultural landscape could have devastating long-term food security consequences.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2014 Global Food Security Index, which ranks countries based on food affordability, availability, nutritional quality and safety, placed Kuwait in 28th place, leading the region with an overall 72.2 percent rating, followed by the UAE in 30th spot with a score of 70.9 percent and Saudi Arabia 32nd at 69.6 percent.
The Abu Dhabi farming industry is reportedly set to produce up to 38,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables in the winter months while Qatar is looking into sustainable agricultural development.
However, the high cost of large-scale domestic agriculture initiatives has proved challenging with Saudi Arabia, for example, calling time on its experimental wheat production programme with plans to revert to an import model by 2016.
According to Alpen Capital’s 2013 GCC Food Industry Report, the GCC will consume 49.1m tonnes of food annually by the end of 2017 with the UAE currently the largest per capita consumer at 1,486kg per year.
This tops neighbouring Oman at 1,095kg per capita per annum, with Saudi Arabia at 872kg, Qatar at 852kg, Kuwait at 634kg and Bahrain at 453kg. The report says over the three years, food consumption in the region is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 3.1 percent and it is imperative that we continue to diversify our import sources and proactively seek out partnerships with other countries and producers willing to become part of the food security solution.The Peninsula
