UAE food producers struggle with global challenges
29 November 2022
Local food and beverage (F&B) producers in the UAE say the sector is being severely constrained by rising input costs and unprecedented challenges caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The impact of the war, which began in February this year, has reverberated across the globe, creating uncertainty and insecurity in global food supply chains.
The food industry is among the vital focus industrial sectors of the UAE’s Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology’s (MoIAT) Operation 300bn plan, not only to enhance its contribution to GDP but also to support long-term food security and self-sufficiency by facilitating local production.
Food security strategy
For industry stakeholders gathered at the MEED-Mashreq Manufacturing Business Leaders Forum, the Covid-19 crisis and conflict in Ukraine have only further underlined the importance of pursuing a food security strategy.
“The UAE F&B industry has more than 550 manufacturing units and employs more than 80,000 workers with a value of production of over AED35bn and exports of more than AED15bn,” said Ahmed Bayoumi, CEO of Global Food Industries (GFI) and board member of the UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Group.
“The Ministry of Climate Change and the Ministry of Industry are jointly spearheading efforts to increase the domestic supply of food products and to make the UAE one of the most food-secure countries in the world,” explained Bayoumi.
“The two strategies, food security and Operation 300bn, both have many programmes to support the industry. We also really appreciate the new free trade agreements and the building of new trade routes with India, Indonesia and Israel.”
Import dependence
The UAE and other Gulf nations – considered food-secure due to their economic and political stability – have not faced food shortages since the pandemic outbreak. But food security and limiting vulnerability to import disruptions remains a key strategic long-term goal for the UAE government, as it lacks control over its sources.
GCC countries, including the UAE, typically import nearly 85 per cent of their food.
Compounding the situation is the harsh climate, with the expansion of local food production limited due to the scarcity of natural resources such as water and arable land.
According to the World Resources Institute, the Middle East and North Africa is the most water-stressed region globally, with the World Bank forecasting that the region will experience the highest economic losses from climate-related water scarcity compared with other global regions, at about six to 14 per cent of their GDP by 2050.
Conflict stress
Closed-off access to the lower-priced Black Sea grain since the outbreak of the war has induced commodity shortages and exacerbated inflationary pressures for purchasers already struggling with still fragile pandemic-disrupted supply chains, high import costs and spikes in energy costs.
“Because of the Ukraine war, sunflower oil and flour prices are up by almost 60 per cent,” a local food manufacturer said during the forum.
“Additionally, the Indian government has banned wheat exports from India. This has created an increase in commodity prices in the local market. It directly impacts me because almost all my products use wheat. Wheat flour is 60 per cent of my raw material.”
The challenge, he said, is further compounded because commodity suppliers have been demanding advance payments as they capitalise on the shortages.
But in the credit-driven UAE market, manufacturers are still bound by 90 to 120-day payment cycles.
“At the same time, I am restricted from increasing my prices,” the manufacturer said. “It is not healthy for the industry. There must be some intervention from the ministry to address this.”
Almost 99 per cent of food products in the UAE are no longer regulated in terms of pricing. This is due to the dialogue between the Ministry of Economy and the industry – credit where credit is due
Ahmed Bayoumi, Global Food Industries
Countering inflation
Inflation has risen to historic levels in many markets worldwide, significantly impacting consumers and businesses.
In the UAE, the IMF forecasted that inflation will be at 5.2 per cent this year.
One local manufacturer at the forum said businesses have “no other way” to protect their finances and margins than to raise the prices of their goods.
“The government does not like to disturb consumers with price increases, but this is a very big challenge for manufacturers,” he said. “If manufacturers don’t increase prices, they will lose money.”
A 2022 Grant Thornton survey of 5,000 mid-market businesses across 28 countries, including the UAE, revealed that 87 per cent of businesses in the UAE have opted to pass the cost of surging inflation to consumers in a bid to protect their margins by increasing their prices, “at the same level or above our cost increases”.
According to the study, businesses have seen increases of 18 per cent in their energy and utility bills, 17 per cent in raw materials costs and 14 per cent in salaries or staff compensation. Businesses also saw a 16 per cent increase in outgoings related to equipment, as well as bank, interest and taxes.
The UAE government typically caps prices of staple food items to keep inflation in check and ensure shopping remains affordable for families. In April 2022, however, the Ministry of Economy said it was monitoring 300 frequently bought essential food items to identify products whose prices could be raised in line with rising import costs, subject to approvals.
“Almost 99 per cent of food products in the UAE are no longer regulated in terms of pricing,” said GFI’s Bayoumi. “This is due to the dialogue between the Ministry of Economy and the industry – credit where credit is due.
“There are only some basic staples that are regulated, and this was a major breakthrough after almost 20 years of everything being regulated.”
Achieving self-sufficiency
The long-term vision of the UAE’s food security strategy is to achieve self-sufficiency, creating an optimum balance between domestic production and securing food production channels overseas.
Ongoing challenges, however, are impacting the speed with which this vision can be achieved.
“Producers who perhaps enjoy more subsidies or, due to currency fluctuations, can access the UAE market at low cost. This tends to come at the cost of demand for local manufacturers,” said Bayoumi.
The strong dollar, meanwhile, has been a “double-edged sword”.
“On the one side, it helps you with your imports from everywhere in the world. So, imports are cheaper in terms of raw materials or equipment. But, on the other hand, in terms of exports, nations using the Euro, for example, are screaming that they can’t buy our product anymore because they have appreciated by 20 per cent.”
“I think the UAE has to think to have some kind of ownership of lands abroad,” a manufacturer at the forum said. “This might open a big door for the UAE. That will secure our raw materials in terms of availability and prices.”
The UAE is already taking steps in this area, with efforts spearheaded by its investment vehicles.
In 2020, Abu Dhabi’s International Holdings Company (IHC) said it would invest over $225m to develop and cultivate over 100,000 acres of farmland in Sudan to help secure high-quality agricultural output.
Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ bought a majority stake in Cyprus-headquartered agriculture company Unifrutti. The firm produces, trades and distributes more than 100 varieties of fresh produce, and sells 560,000 tonnes of fresh fruit a year. It has 14,000 hectares of farms across four continents and customers in 50 countries.
ADQ previously acquired a 45 per cent stake in French firm Louis Dreyfus, and has stakes in local companies, including fresh produce and agri-tech group Silal; forage and agribusiness group Al-Dhahra Holding; and food and beverage group Agthia.
Equal opportunities
Bayoumi noted that overall, demand within the UAE is recovering “very strongly” after the pandemic.
“Especially with visitor numbers growing, we see market demand growing, and we anticipate that this growth will continue going forward,” he said.
“But also, competition is intensifying. More players are seeing the Gulf as one of the most attractive markets globally over the next three to five years, more players are coming into the market, and more players are vying for a piece of the cake.”
Medium-sized enterprises are at a further disadvantage when compared to regional giants.
“One of the things being discussed and under study is how medium-sized enterprises can be provided with access to centres of excellence that would pool resources in areas such as research and technology, which an individual entity might not be able to afford otherwise. That would make them more competitive over the long term versus the big players,” he said.
“The concentration of retail power also needs to be addressed. In the past, there were thousands of places to sell your product and hardly pay anything. Now two or three major retailers have 50 to 60 per cent of the market. They impose demands and if you do not comply, you could end up delisted or chucked off shelves.”
By Megha Merani
Exclusive from Meed
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PIF anchors Brookfield Middle East fund5 August 2026
Canada’s Brookfield has announced the first close of Brookfield Middle East Partners (BMEP), a private equity fund anchored by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), raising about $2bn.
The capital was raised from a group of anchor investors comprising PIF and other global and regional institutional partners.
The fund will invest in businesses based in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East, pursuing buyouts, minority growth equity and other opportunities across sectors including financial, business and consumer services, industrials, technology and healthcare.
Capital will be allocated to investments in the Middle East, with a focus on the GCC. The fund targets allocating 50% of its investments to Saudi Arabia.
Brookfield is committing $500m to the fund. The $2bn figure is a first close; neither the size of PIF’s commitment nor the fund’s final fundraising target was disclosed.
“Our partnership with Brookfield is designed to help anchor international private equity into Saudi Arabia and the region. It will also accelerate deal flow while continuing to bring world-class expertise to the local capital market ecosystem,” said Yazeed Al-Humied, deputy governor and head of Mena investments at PIF.
The fund draws on Brookfield’s offices in Riyadh and its wider global network. As part of the initiative, Brookfield will make the Brookfield Academy, its professional learning programme founded in 2019, available in Saudi Arabia to develop local investment talent.
PIF and Brookfield agreed to create the fund in October 2024. The announcement follows the approval of PIF’s 2026-30 strategy in April, which focuses on maximising financial returns, improving investment efficiency and increasing private sector participation.
“We are grateful for the collaboration with PIF and our other strategic anchor partners, reflecting the global confidence and strong demand for private equity opportunities in Saudi Arabia and the region. Brookfield has been active in the Middle East for nearly three decades, and we bring deep local investment expertise, local networks and an owner-operator approach to transforming high-quality businesses. We see a compelling opportunity to partner with businesses across the region and position them for long-term growth,” said Bruce Flatt, CEO of Brookfield Corporation.
Saudi footprint
The fund is the latest step in Brookfield’s expansion in Saudi Arabia. Its local unit, Brookfield Arabia for Business Services, received Capital Market Authority approval in June to manage investments and run funds in the country. In May 2025, Brookfield launched a $1bn joint venture with Abu Dhabi’s Lunate focused on residential real estate in the Middle East, with a focus on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The fund also fits a wider PIF pattern of using relationships with global asset managers to channel international capital into the domestic economy rather than deploying Saudi money abroad. In the same month as the BMEP close, PIF signed $24.5bn in memorandums of understanding with the World Bank Group and US Export-Import Bank to draw outside capital into its portfolio companies, alongside a $2bn co-investment agreement with US-based I Squared Capital targeting infrastructure and district cooling.
Gulf expansion
Brookfield has signalled a broader push into the Gulf. In May, Flatt said the company intended to increase its investments in the region despite the ongoing conflict.
“In fact, [we're] doubling down; we are doing more,” Flatt said when asked at the Milken Institute Global Conference on 4 May whether the ongoing conflict in the region was changing the way he thought about the Gulf.
“When you find great businesses, countries, great people, and the market offers you an opportunity to invest when others are not, it is always the best opportunity in the world, so we are doing more. We have been there for 25 years; we are continuing to do all of the investments we have there, and we are going to do more,” he added.
Flatt suggested the current period of geopolitical stress could accelerate long-term economic strengthening across the Gulf, arguing that governments and businesses would respond by investing in self-sufficiency and strategic infrastructure.
Since the conflict began on 28 February, Flatt has travelled to the region to meet senior UAE officials. In Abu Dhabi on 9 April, he met Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, to discuss cooperation in investment and asset management between UAE-based institutions and Brookfield.
Two days later, in Dubai, Flatt met Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister and chairman of Dubai International Financial Centre, to explore opportunities to expand cooperation.
Regional deals
Brookfield has also been active elsewhere in the region. In May, the firm formed a joint venture with Kuwait-based Alshaya Group to develop a 480,000-square-foot mixed-use project in the Dubai Hills area of Dubai, a master-planned community developed by Emaar. The project will include Grade A office space, build-to-rent residential units and retail components, with Brookfield Properties acting as development and real estate manager.
In late 2025, Brookfield and Qai, Qatar’s artificial intelligence (AI) company and a subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority, announced a strategic partnership to establish a $20bn joint venture focused on AI infrastructure in Qatar and select international markets. The venture is slated to be backed through Brookfield’s Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Fund, part of a broader programme targeting up to $100bn in global investment.
Brookfield has been directly investing in the region since 2015 and has built a portfolio of more than $16bn of managed assets across private equity, real estate and infrastructure.
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SSH wins Muscat cultural complex5 August 2026
Kuwait-based engineering and architecture consultancy SSH has been appointed as the construction supervision consultant for the Sayyid Tarik Bin Taimur Cultural Complex in Oman.
The firm will provide construction supervision services across the project, overseeing construction activities, monitoring quality, coordinating specialist subconsultants and working with stakeholders throughout delivery.
SSH was appointed by UK-based Mace, the project management consultant, on behalf of Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth.
The complex is located in Al-Seeb, Muscat, on a 400,000-square-metre (sq m) site. It is centred on an urban plaza and brings together a range of cultural and institutional facilities.
These include a 23,000 sq m national library, a 15,500 sq m national archives, four facilities buildings with a combined area of 14,000 sq m and a 5,000 sq m energy and data centre.
At the heart of the development is the national theatre, comprising a 1,000-seat auditorium and a 250-seat auditorium. The facilities are set within landscaped gardens and water features, alongside a signature canopy structure.
In October 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth awarded a design-and-build construction contract for the complex to a joint venture of local firm Saif Salim Issa Al-Harrasi and Turkiye’s Sembol Construction, MEED reported.
In January 2026, UAE-based steel structure manufacturer Emirates Building Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai Investments, won a contract to deliver the project’s complete structural steel package.
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Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
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PIF completes $55bn EA buyout5 August 2026
A consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has completed the acquisition of US video games publisher Electronic Arts (EA), taking the company private in a deal valued at $55bn.
The transaction closed on 4 August, resulting in EA’s delisting from the Nasdaq stock exchange 36 years after its listing. Shareholders will receive $210 in cash for each share, a premium of about 25% on the closing price before the deal was announced in September 2025.
PIF holds about 94% of the company, while US technology investor Silver Lake holds 5.5% and Affinity Partners, the firm founded by Jared Kushner, holds 1.1%.
The deal is described as the largest leveraged buyout in history, a structure in which a large share of the purchase is funded by debt that is transferred to the acquired company. The acquisition is backed by about $36bn in equity, with a further $20bn in debt added to EA’s balance sheet.
EA publishes some of the games industry’s biggest franchises, including EA Sports FC, formerly Fifa, alongside Madden NFL, Apex Legends, Battlefield and The Sims. The company generated revenue of $7.5bn last year, while the October release of Battlefield 6 sold more than 7 million copies in its first three days.
The acquisition is the second-largest in gaming history, after Microsoft’s $69bn purchase of Activision Blizzard. It ranks among PIF’s largest investments to date under its strategy of building positions in gaming, esports and digital entertainment as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification programme. The fund already holds stakes in games companies including Take-Two Interactive and owns Japanese developer SNK.
The consortium’s control of EA strengthens its links to the global football ecosystem through the EA Sports FC franchise, adding to PIF’s investments in the sport, which include English Premier League club Newcastle United and four clubs in the Saudi Pro League. Saudi Arabia has also hosted esports events, including the 2025 Esports World Cup.
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What foreign companies still get wrong about Iraq5 August 2026

Improved security, political stability and stronger oil revenues have brought Iraq back into investor conversations in recent years. Higher oil prices restored state finances, revived public spending and reinforced the narrative that Iraq was once again open for business. Relative calm strengthened that sentiment among regional and international firms.
Yet Iraq’s investment narrative has improved faster than its operating reality. A common mistake among foreign investors has been to view operations in Iraq primarily through the lens of security. While physical security remains important – particularly in the current regional climate – some of the most persistent risks are structural. These include opaque counterparties with hidden political backing, fragmented authority and overlapping power centres, exposure to sanctions-linked networks, and weak and often corrupt law enforcement and judicial institutions.
For most firms, the real test begins after market entry: when choosing a partner, bidding for contracts, moving funds, securing government approvals or attempting to enforce a contract or court judgment.
The current conflict has not changed these risks; rather, it has made them harder to ignore.
Basic due diligence and document checks are often insufficient to mitigate risks in a market as complex as Iraq
Counterparty risks and how to mitigate them
For many foreign investors operating in Iraq, one of the most significant risks lies in dealing with local counterparties – business partners, contractors, suppliers, clients and customers. Companies may appear conventional on paper, but ownership and control are often obscured through proxies.
One challenge is identifying who ultimately controls or benefits from a business and whether it has links to politically exposed persons, armed groups or sanctioned networks. Another is examining its business practices for signs of corruption or other illicit activity.
Every so often, we encounter seemingly well-established and reputable Iraqi business groups with extensive foreign partnerships that, following in-depth investigation, appear to be ultimately controlled by or linked to politicians, militia leaders, sanctioned individuals or Iran-aligned armed groups. Such connections often indicate a history of corrupt practices, ranging from bribery and the use of high-placed connections to secure government contracts to involvement in sophisticated money-laundering schemes or smuggling and diversion operations benefiting the Iranian state.
Foreign firms engaging with local counterparties may enter what appears to be a routine commercial arrangement, only to discover later that they are doing business with a highly sensitive or controversial political actor. The consequences extend beyond commercial risk. Regulatory, legal and reputational repercussions can follow, particularly where sanctions or criminal exposure exists.
Basic due diligence and document checks are often insufficient to mitigate risks in a market as complex as Iraq. Obtaining a deeper understanding of a potential counterparty’s ownership, control and track record is often constrained by the limited availability of credible information.
One of Iraq’s paradoxes is that it is not a data-poor jurisdiction. It generates abundant media reporting, leaks and social-media narratives. The challenge lies in judging what information matters, who is driving it, and what is missing.
The government also maintains a publicly accessible corporate register – Tasjeel – which contains basic information on the ownership of Iraq-registered private companies. The details, however, can be incomplete or out of date, and names on official filings often do not reflect actual control. There is also a notable lack of transparency when it comes to legal searches in Iraq: neither criminal nor civil litigation records are publicly available.
The availability of information also varies across the country. Iraq is not a single commercial jurisdiction. In practice, overlapping and sometimes competing systems of authority exist, particularly between federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Licensing, customs procedures, taxation, political sponsorship and legal recourse can differ significantly, as can the accessibility of official records, with the Kurdistan Region generally offering less transparency.
For all these reasons, source-based enquiries remain central to any serious risk assessment in Iraq. Human intelligence gathered on the ground through a network of knowledgeable sources often fills critical information gaps, providing context and insights that cannot be obtained from public records alone.
The impact of regional war and political changes on structural weaknesses
The recent deterioration in the regional security environment has renewed attention on Iraq. Investors are once again weighing insurance costs, movement restrictions, supply-chain exposure and the risk of disruption from armed escalation.
The implications, however, extend well beyond immediate security concerns. Regional conflict often strengthens informal power structures, elevates the influence of armed factions, increases exposure to pro-Iran networks and complicates sanctions assessments. Institutions may slow decision‑making, while border friction, diversion risk and financial scrutiny intensify.
As a result, the risk categories familiar to foreign investors – political, compliance, legal and operational – often become intertwined in Iraq. A politically exposed counterparty can become a sanctions issue; a regulatory delay can turn political; and a commercial dispute may prove unenforceable where the other party operates within a stronger network of influence.
There is also a new variable in play. Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, is a seasoned businessman with significant interests in banking, the food industry and other sectors. For foreign investors, this background may be viewed as a positive signal, suggesting a greater emphasis on deal-making, investor outreach and easing market entry. However, a businessman at the top can help only up to a point. Iraq’s core business risks are rooted in institutions, networks and entrenched political structures that even a pro‑business leader must navigate.
Counterparty risk assessment should sit at the centre of any market-entry strategy
What serious investors should do differently
None of this means Iraq should be written off. It remains a market with scale, unmet demand and clear areas of opportunity. But it does mean foreign companies need a more disciplined approach.
Counterparty risk assessment should sit at the centre of any market-entry strategy. That means identifying beneficial ownership, mapping political exposure, screening for sanctions links and understanding the broader network surrounding a local counterparty rather than relying solely on a basic corporate registry check.
Iraq should also be treated as a market that requires continuous monitoring, not one-off screening. Ownership, influence and compliance exposure can change quickly. A clean partner at onboarding is not guaranteed to remain a low risk a year later.
About the authors
Dr Anastasia Nosova is associate managing director at K2 Integrity, a prominent global risk advisory, compliance and corporate investigations firm. Renwar Ahmed is an associate at the company’s Investigations & Disputes practice.
MEED’s June 2026 report on Iraq includes:
> COMMENT: Iraq’s reform window narrows
> GOVERNMENT: Al-Zaidi takes Iraq’s premiership under US shadow
> BANKING: Financial challenge tests Iraq’s resolve
> ECONOMY: Iraq enters era of resilience, reform and rising risks
> OIL & GAS: Iraqi oil and gas sector in crisis
> POWER & WATER: Focus shifts to delivery of Iraq utilities expansion
> CONSTRUCTION: Momentum builds in Iraq’s post-war construction sectorTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18093093/main.gif -
Riyadh qualifies bidders for Quality Valley PPP project5 August 2026
Saudi Arabia’s State Properties General Authority (SPGA), in collaboration with the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), has qualified five consortiums and three individual companies to bid for the contract to develop the Quality Valley Riyadh project.
The public-private partnership (PPP) scheme will transform the Saudi Standards, Metrology & Quality Organisation’s headquarters site in Riyadh’s Al-Muhammadiyah area into a mixed-use district.
The first consortium includes Alrashid Properties, Saudi Bonyan Real Estate Investment and Artar Real Estate Development.
The second brings together Albawardi, Arabian Real Estate Investment Company (Areic) and US-based SkyBridge.
The third comprises AlOula and Ajdan.
The fourth consists of Buna, Bany Holding and Sumou Investment.
The fifth is formed by Assets for Facilities Management (AFM), BA, Heyazah and Ahmad Mohammed Alsaif & Sons for Trade & Investment.
The three companies qualified to bid individually are Tanama, Al-Ayuni and Mada International Holding.
In July, MEED reported that SPGA and NCP had tendered the contract, with bidders allowed until 8 October to submit their proposals.
Known as the Quality Valley Riyadh project, the scheme will be developed on a design, build, finance, operate, maintain and transfer basis.
The project comprises commercial offices, a four-star hotel and retail facilities. The contract term is 32 years, in addition to a three-year construction period. The site covers about 191,000 square metres.
UK-based PricewaterhouseCoopers, US-based engineering firm Jacobs and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nowaisser & Al-Suwaylimi are advising on the project.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18117953/main.jpg