The United Arab Emirates is quite a significant importer of fresh vegetables and fruits, with annual imports valued at approximately 2 billion dollars. This positioned the United Arab Emirates as the 16th largest importer worldwide in 2022. The import value in neighboring Saudi Arabia is nearly the same when expressed in dollars. Countries such as Switzerland, Austria, and Sweden import less by value.
In terms of volume, the United Arab Emirates now imports well over 3 million tons of fresh vegetables and fruits annually. The import volume is increasing every year. The domestic vegetable production, at 300 to 350,000 tons, is modest in comparison. Apart from dates, the domestic production of fruits is negligible.
The self-sufficiency rate for fresh vegetables remains below 20%
For cucumbers and pumpkins, the majority of domestic consumption comes from local production. Half of the eggplants and a quarter of the tomatoes consumed are domestically produced. However, there has been no growth in vegetable production in the United Arab Emirates in recent years. Until 2020, cucumber production grew from 35,000 tons in 2015 to over 100,000 tons, but in 2021 and 2022, cucumber production remained stable. Cucumbers are by far the most important product, followed by tomatoes and then cabbage, pumpkins, eggplants, and cauliflower. There's a significant gap to a range of products led by peppers and onions.
The United Arab Emirates is a hub for regional trade
Excluding dates, the United Arab Emirates currently re-exports about a million tons of fresh vegetables and fruits. The neighboring countries are the main buyers. The main re-export products from the United Arab Emirates are apples, onions, and citrus, as well as watermelons, garlic, and kiwis.
Most imports come from the region itself
Iran is by far the most important supplier of fresh vegetables and fruits to the United Arab Emirates. In 2022, nearly a million tons were imported. With 270,000 tons, watermelons were the most significant product imported from Iran, followed by tomatoes, apples, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, and melons.
India was the second largest, with 430,000 tons. The United Arab Emirates imports mainly onions from India. South Africa, with 340,000 tons, was the third-largest supplier. From South Africa, mainly oranges and lemons are imported, as well as apples, tangerines, pears, and plums. Over 200,000 tons were imported from Egypt and China. In Egypt, the focus is mainly on oranges, as well as onions and sweet potatoes. These figures are for 2022, thus before the shipping problems in that region. From China, mainly garlic, ginger, and carrots are imported. Overall, onions are the most important import product for the United Arab Emirates, followed by watermelons, oranges, tomatoes, apples, bananas, dates, lemons, and tangerines.
Imports to Saudi Arabia grew to about 3 million tons
In terms of volume, the United Arab Emirates is the largest importer among the 6 Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia is the other major importer, with just under 3 million tons. The import volume in Saudi Arabia is still growing. Egypt is the main supplier with nearly a million tons in 2022. Oranges, onions, and lemons are the main products imported from Egypt. Jordan is the second-largest supplier to Saudi Arabia, with tomatoes being the most important product. South Africa is number three and Ecuador is fourth. They are followed by Syria, Yemen, and China. At least 300,000 tons are re-exported from the United Arab Emirates. Kuwait imports 700,000 tons of fresh vegetables and fruits annually, Oman 650,000 tons, and Qatar is the smallest of the six with half a million tons. Re-export from the United Arab Emirates also plays a role in these countries.
In total, the six Gulf countries import about 8 million tons of fresh vegetables and fruits. This includes an estimated 600,000 tons of re-export from the United Arab Emirates. In terms of value, the imports by the six countries amount to 6 billion dollars. Egypt is the main supplier with 750 million dollars, followed by South Africa with 650 million, India with 550 million, and Ecuador with just under 400 million dollars. Oranges are the most valuable import at 500 million dollars, followed by apples, bananas, and onions.
Saudi Arabia is a major producer
Dates are by far the most important fresh vegetable and fruit product grown in the Gulf states. Tomatoes are a close second, followed by watermelons and cucumbers. Saudi Arabia is by far the most important producer of vegetables and fruits. Oman is a distant second, and the United Arab Emirates is third.
600,000 tons from EU countries to the Gulf states
The EU countries exported over 600,000 tons of fresh vegetables and fruits to the 6 Gulf countries last year. This was about 100,000 tons less than in 2022. Saudi Arabia is the most important for the EU countries, with a volume of 260,000 tons in 2023, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 230,000 tons. Qatar was number three with over 60,000 tons. Among the EU countries, Italy is the most important exporter, with 206,000 tons in 2023. The Netherlands was able to export 165,000 tons to the Gulf countries, and Spain 120,000 tons. Italy exports especially to Saudi Arabia, mainly apples. In total, Italy exported 180,000 tons of apples to the Gulf states in 2023, of which 130,000 tons went to Saudi Arabia.
The export from the Netherlands to the six Gulf countries dropped to 165,000 tons in 2023. A few years ago, it was still over 200,000 tons. The Netherlands mainly supplies vegetables to the Gulf states, with the largest part falling into the category of others. Additionally, it includes tomatoes, lettuce, and mushrooms. For the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates is by far the most important of the six Gulf countries, followed by Qatar.
For more information:
Jan Kees Boon
Fruit and Vegetable Facts
www.fruitandvegetablefacts.com
[email protected]