Dubai’s food and beverage (F&B) trade with Africa hit a four-year high at $2.4 billion in 2020, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Wednesday. 

The value of trade, which doesn’t include tobacco, is 18 percent higher compared to the previous year and the highest since 2017. Total F&B trade between Dubai and Africa also amounted to $13.9 billion during the 2015-2020 period. 

Dubai’s biggest trading partner in the continent is North Africa, which accounted for the lion’s share of the F&B trade in 2020, reaching a value of $971.2 million, followed by East Africa ($828.3 million) and Southern Africa ($362.9 million). 

In its analysis, Dubai Chamber noted that Africa’s growing urban F&B market offers “vast opportunities” for investors in Dubai, particularly those engaged in warehousing and cold storage for agricultural products, farm equipment, transport and repair services. 

Overall, Dubai’s F&B trade with Africa last year accounted for around 13 percent of the emirate’s total trade volume with the continent, excluding trade in gold, jewellery and precious stones. 

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by  Seban Scaria) 

Cleofe.maceda@refinitiv.com 

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