The Indian food company Haldiram’s and the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) are working together to build one of the biggest saffron production plants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The deal was made in Dubai at the Gulfood event. The building is set to open for business in March 2025.

Kesar Expert and Packers will be in charge of running the plant. They have been processing high-quality saffron in India for 22 years. The facility will also try to get European BRCGS certification, which is known around the world, to make sure that the quality and purity of its saffron products.

The saffron processing hub will start out being able to handle 30 metric tonnes of saffron. Over the next five years, the goal is to grow this amount to 100 metric tonnes. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and India will help this growth.

Besides the saffron project, Jafza and Haldiram’s talked about other ways they could work together. Some of these are growing Haldiram’s presence in Dubai and putting more money into food production and distribution facilities. This partnership shows how important Dubai is becoming as a global trade hub. This is made possible by Jafza’s thriving food and beverage industry, which is home to over 770 companies.

Indian companies that make food and drinks have been very busy at Gulfood this week. Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL) recently brought its well-known brand Campa to the UAE, which was its first time entering that market. The launch was done with the help of the Agthia Group in Abu Dhabi.

Lulu Retail, one of the biggest stores in the area, has also made nine strategic memorandums of understanding with global manufacturers to get more products to sell in the GCC and other places. As part of these agreements, Milaf Cola, a carbonated date drink from Saudi Arabia, will be sold in LuLu stores across the GCC, with hopes to eventually bring it to India as well.