UAE food supplies secure as local farms step up, Ghitha CEO says

Dubai: UAE consumers should continue to find daily essentials such as dairy, poultry, eggs, edible oils and fresh produce available despite pressure on regional shipping and supply routes, according to Falal Ameen, Group CEO of Ghitha Holding.

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Ameen said the UAE’s port and airport network, local food production base and established cold chain infrastructure are helping the country manage disruption, while homegrown food companies are expanding production to reduce reliance on imports.

“We have almost seven ports based in the UAE, and we can use any port, any seaport, any airport,” Ameen said in an interview. “We already laid the foundation in the UAE.”

Ghitha Holding is the parent company of Al Ain Farms Group, which operates across dairy, poultry, eggs and beverages, and is part of the UAE’s wider push to build stronger local food capacity.

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Essentials remain available

Ameen said availability is not a major issue for the UAE because the country has built multiple routes and infrastructure options to keep goods moving during disruption.

“We have sufficient product available all time here,” he said. “One of the key challenges we are taking care of ourselves is to make sure we have good quality food available all time in the UAE.”

He said the UAE’s experience during previous disruptions, including the pandemic and the Red Sea crisis, has helped companies prepare for new supply shocks.

“We are familiar with a lot of challenges,” Ameen said. “We saw in Covid time, we saw the Red Sea crisis, we are familiar and especially as I mentioned earlier, UAE is blessed with a lot of geographical advantage.”

Local production reduces import risk

Ameen said the strongest protection against global food supply disruption is to produce more inside the UAE.

“We need to produce as much as we can in the UAE, then we don’t need to worry about any logistic or any other disturbance around the world,” he said.

Ghitha’s food businesses are also supporting local farmers to increase output across key categories.

“We are one of the biggest local produce company for poultry, dairy and table eggs, and we are supporting the local farmers to encourage them to improve their production,” Ameen said.

He added that the group is looking at deeper integration across its businesses, with a farm-to-fork model aimed at strengthening supply, distribution and market reach.

Al Ain Taaza targets fresh juice market

Ghitha-backed Al Ain Farms Group and NRTC Group have also entered a joint venture to launch Al Ain Taaza, a new ultra-fresh juice brand targeting one-third of the UAE’s Dh500 million fresh juice market within three to five years.

The partnership, announced at Make it in the Emirates 2026, brings together Al Ain Farms Group’s brand strength, in-house bottle manufacturing and national distribution network with NRTC Group’s fresh produce sourcing, processing and cold chain infrastructure.

Al Ain Taaza will launch in the third quarter of 2026 with more than 15 flavours across refreshments, functional blends and smoothies. Products will be available nationwide from launch.

Turning disruption into opportunity

Ameen said Ghitha sees disruption as an opportunity to strengthen local production and expand UAE-made food brands.

“Ghitha is one of the long-term companies, and we know how to manage the challenges,” he said. “We don’t see any difficulties for any challenges. We love to see the challenge. That’s maybe opportunities for us.”

Areeba Hashmi contributed to this report.