Link December 2018 dec 2018 final2 | Page 13

PORTS & FREEZONE and agriculture industry is one of Jafza’s top five performers, generating 3.5 million metric tonnes of trade valued at $3 billion. Together they contribute 18 per cent of Dubai’s total sector trade by volume and 16 per cent by value. The sector employs over 6,550 people, almost 5% of the total free zone workforce. Top brands at Jafza include Unilever, Nestle, Heinz, Al Khaleej Sugar, Alokozay Group of Companies, Mars, McCormick, Dawn, Griffith Foods, Hunter Foods, Bayara, Gulf Food Industries – California Garden, Fonterra, and Masterbaker. Rising disposable incomes, combined with contemporary consumption patterns, will drive industry growth, especially for food services and premium categories according to recent BMI forecasts. Headline food sales in the UAE will increase at an annual average of 6.6 per cent between 2018 -2022. The outlook for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region is growth of 6.3 per cent during the same period, driven by an improvement in the macroeconomic environment. Dubai South and Dubai Customs sign agreement to facilitate transactions for local and foreign companies Cooperation in line with Dubai Plan 2021 and supports the emirate’s vision to become the world’s leading investment destination for ease of doing business Dubai South, Dubai’s integrated city and flagship urban project, has signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Customs on providing electronic links to services aimed at facilitating the exchange of information of registered companies as well as enhancing the transactions and procedures between the two parties. The agreements, which were signed by H.E. Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South December 2018 | 13