Dubai Multi Commodities Centre’s (DMCC) state-of-the-art Tea Centre handles 53 million kilos of tea annually, and the Centre is confident its market share will remain consistent for the foreseeable future, its executive chairman said.
"DMCC is a market-maker, facilitators of trade, and a hub for the flow of commodities around the world, and through Dubai,” Ahmed bin Sulayem was quoted as saying in a Wam report.
“The DMCC Tea Centre is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence for the industry and has helped secure the position of the United Arab Emirates as a valuable export route for the majority of the tea producing nations," he added, speaking at the two-day Global Dubai Tea Forum, being held under the theme 'Brewing the Future of Trade', in Dubai, UAE.
Representing all segments of the tea supply chain, more than 450 international delegates, a 39 per cent increase in attendance from the previous event, descended on Dubai for the event’s seventh edition, and to take part in expert analysis on the current state of the global tea industry, as well as debate the challenges set to define its future.
According to Euromonitor International, the Middle East and Africa region will account for 11 per cent of the total global retail value by 2022, growing at a five percent rate over the same period of time. In the UAE alone, Euromonitor International estimates that the tea market will be worth $70 million in 2018.
"Few people outside this region would have predicted that the DMCC Tea Centre would grow to handle over 53 million kilos of tea in just over a decade. Today we see over 100 brands of tea being packed at their facility in Jebel Ali, facilitating the trade of tea to international buyers worldwide, with tea being processed there from 13 countries," said keynote speaker Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and managing director of UAE Region DP World and CEO Jafza.
"Creating a successful tea marketplace derived from listening to market needs, delivering smart and efficient solutions to market participants, – and leveraging existing infrastructure such as our world-class port, and Dubai’s unrivalled global connectivity," he added.
The focus of day two will be the search of solutions for sustainable filter paper, value addition in the tea industry and to overcome challenges to meet demand in 2050.
DMCC - Dubai Precious Metals B-ROLL from BroadcastExchange on Vimeo.