03 October 2019
Union Coop, the largest consumer cooperative in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has signed agreements with fish farms and exporters in China to secure the supply of fish and marine produce into the country, it was announced on Thursday.

Union Coop said in a press statement that the agreements with Chinese suppliers will increase the coop's purchases of fish and marine products to approximately 45 million UAE dirhams ($12.3 million) annually and help reduce their prices by 20-25 percent

Union Coop's fresh category trade department head Yaqoob Al Balooshi said the agreements signed with the Chinese companies will contribute to the sustainability of the UAE's fishing industry by reducing overfishing and support the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's 'fishing seasons ban' initiative.

He said China's huge production capacity has a direct impact on the prices of fish and other marine products.

"Meanwhile, we are keen to provide high-quality European specifications that meet the aspirations of the UAE community, where Union Coop will strive to provide products not available in the UAE marine market," added Al Balooshi.

Union Coop currently imports fish from 10 countries and sells about five tonnes of fish per day through its outlets across Dubai, according to the statement.

(Writing by Madhura Deulgaonkar; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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