How Significant is IndoEmirate Partnership for Food Security & Agriculture?

As the world's second-largest food producer, India's abundant arable land, advanced food processing capabilities, and investments in modern supply chain infrastructure position it as a reliable partner for the UAE's food security ambitions.

-  Suchetana Choudhury

This partnership is not just about exports of agricultural items such as rice (particularly Basmati rice), spices, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods but about creating sustainable economic opportunities for Indian farmers, enhancing their livelihoods.

The ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) unveiled at the G20 meeting, has been referred to as a game-changing, historic, and digital bridge connecting continents and civilisations, supplementing the existing goal of developing Indo-Gulf trade and economic relations through improvement in infrastructure and connectivity in terms of diversification of the trade basket between India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) focussing upon the growth of non-oil trade in the country.

Energy-driven trade has long dominated India-UAE relations. However, during the last decade, the relationship has altered dramatically as the focus has shifted to newer areas of collaboration and diplomacy. The two governments acknowledge that the security of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) are mutually advantageous and demand an integrated and collaborative approach. As a result, the UAE and other Gulf states have turned to the East in general, and India in particular, for better cooperation.

The joint sense of purpose eventually inspired the trajectory discussions on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) creating enormous potentially transformative opportunities for trade, commerce and investments and fuelling the mutual desire for progress and an unwavering commitment to deliver far-reaching benefits to people across India and UAE, thereby setting the stage for a maiden era of prosperity and strategic cooperation. With the signing of CEPA, UAE emerged as the third-largest trading partner and second-largest export market for India, accounting for 9 per cent of its total foreign trade and 14 per cent of non-oil exports.