Badal discusses investment opportunities with UAE

Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday met her UAE counterpart Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi and discussed about investment opportunities in the food sector.

Badal met UAE's Minister of State for Food Security on the sidelines of 'Gulfood 2020'.

"Both the ministers discussed UAE investments in food corridors in India in accordance with the vision given by the top leadership of the two countries," an official statement said.

Badal highlighted the enormous potential for investments in food processing sector in India and said that UAE side stays positive on opportunities for investing in various areas of food processing such as cold chains, food parks, contract farming and logistics.

"The two ministers expressed satisfaction at the existing bilateral cooperation in the field of food security, with India being one of the largest food exporters to UAE," he said.

They further deliberated upon ways and means to further increase cooperation and collaboration in the food sector.

Both ministers mentioned that the two sides could also exchange information in new areas such as saline water agriculture, the statement added.

Earlier in the day, Badal addressed a business roundtable on opportunities in food processing sector in India, and invited UAE companies to participate in the first organic food exhibition being organised in Delhi on February 21-23, 2020.

She also held one-on-one meetings with various companies in trading of food products and investing in the sector.

India is the largest participant in Gulfood with almost 300 companies. India's food exports to UAE stand at almost USD 1.8 billion(about Rs 12,780 crore).