Documentation

To import goods from another country into the United Arab Emirates, you will be required to submit the following original documents

• • Commercial Invoice: document is to be issued to the importer detailing total quantity, goods description and total value of each item.
  • Certificate of Origin: This is a document that states the country of origin for your goods and this must be approved by your country’s Ministry of Commerce. This certificate is needed for every product you want to export.
  • Health Certificate: This is a proof that the goods have been prepared and shipped under sanitary conditions and are fit for human consumption.
  • Food Safety Inspection Service Certificate: It ensures that meat and poultry products were slaughtered and processed in accordance to the health regulations.
  • Packing List: It is a list that contains the method of packing the shipment. You will have to provide detailed information on the goods, including the weight and code number.
  • Import Permit: Obtain permission of importation from competent agencies in case you encounter restriction on goods.
  • Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Phytosanitary Certificate: The certificate is issued only if your goods have been inspected and properly tested to ensure Phytosanitary regulations of the goods e.g. products like lentils, rice, grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. Don’t be scared, the big word stands for measures taken to protect humans, animals and plants from diseases, pests or contaminations.

NOTE: Original certificates must accompany shipment at the time of entry since it carries details of the shipment.

Next, you must ensure that your shipments are properly labelled with the following information:

• Product description
• Ingredients
• Country of Origin
• Net weight
• Cartons of fresh fruits and vegetables must contain label information but you mustn’t include the expiry dates.
  

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See Also: Leveraging on Meet The Farmers Conference for Agricultural Business Funds

Other Requirements:

Attach the following certificates to food items for exportation to UAE:

• A health certificate is to be issued by exporter country to ascertain that the food items are healthy for consumption.
• A Halal slaughter certificate is needed from a UAE approved Islamic Center and authorized by the UAE Embassy/Consulate.
• Dubai Municipality approval letter
• Importer’s license to Trade
• Bill of Entry or Airway Bill
• Packing list
• Commercial Invoice
• Delivery Order (addressed to the Customs Department stating the description of the carrier and the cargo and stating to whom the cargo is to be delivered).
• Country of Origin Certificate

“The exporter is required to pay a commercial invoice legalization fee (this is 1% of consignment value) on all imported products.”

Also note that the import of alcoholic beverages are strictly controlled in the UAE. Only a few local companies are licensed to import or sell alcohol. Non-alcoholic beverages imported into the UAE cannot contain more than 0.05% per volume.

On arrival to the UAE, every food shipment will be inspected to ensure compliance with label and shelf life regulations. Make sure you properly label your produce after packaging. New-to-market products are subject to thorough laboratory analysis and the result will be ready within 5-10 days.

Now that you know what to do, ensure that you effect quality measures into farming processes. Look out for the next article on ‘Exporting to UAE Free Zones’.

To learn more about exporting to the UAE, you should attend ‘Meet the Farmers Conference’ which will hold on 27th and 28th November, 2019. Register as an Exhibitor | Sponsor | Attendee

The post All you Need to Know Before Exporting to the UAE appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

Sesame seed is a flowering plant that has a wide variety of relative spread in Africa. Widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and dating as old as man’s existence, it is the oldest known oil seed known to man. Sesame is popular amongst African farmers and it can resist drought where other crops fail and it doesn’t require much fertiliser making it less expensive to cultivate.

Nigeria has a broad variety of commodities growing on its land, which have the potential to generate revenue and improve the Agric sector. One of such commodities is sesame seeds. Based on its colour, Sesame is classified into the white and brown varieties. The white grain (Food Grade) is used by bakeries for pastry garnishing and salad while the brown grain, often referred to as the oil grade, is used in the production of sesame oil.

Why Nigeria

Nigeria is the largest producer of sesame seeds in Africa, and the third largest in the world, with about 580,000 tonnes produced in 2017. 90% of sesame seeds produced in Nigeria are exported. As at Q1’18, it was the most exported non-oil commodity, which make it 0.57% to the total export value and 36.39% of agricultural exports. Taraba, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Edo and Benue are the four major states that produce this commodity in Nigeria.

Why Exporting To UAE and GCC Region

Sesame Seeds has lots of health and industrial benefits and is widely used for baking, medicine, cosmetics and animal feeds. It also has a high oil content (44–60%). Considering its health benefits and the growing preference for organic foods, which make it one of the most wanted agric product in the UAE and GCC region, which is positive for Nigeria.

Currently, Sesame seed is one of the top agro products imported into the UAE and other GCC with $43.90 million import value from Nigeria. $43.90m import value is expected to double up by 2020 as the population keeps increasing in the UAE and GCC Region. These present huge opportunities for Nigeria in terms of increasing fiscal and export revenue.

How To Become A Major Exporter

Before, agricultural products imported into the UAE from Africa are mostly from North Africa, particularly Egypt and Morocco. However, regardless of the lack of bilateral trade agreement between the UAE and most African countries, imports of agro products from many African countries are increasing, especially from Nigeria, which is a major supplier of Halal products to the UAE and other GCC countries.

To take advantage of these opportunities and exploit its potential, attend this year’s Meet the Farmers Conference (MTFC). An agro-business conference that aims to bring together large scale agricultural commodity producers from Africa to buyers within the countries that form the Gulf Corporation Council using Dubai as a trade centre.

Meet with the largest gathering of Agric stakeholders in Africa and the UAE at the Meet The Farmers Conference as we discuss The FUTURE OF AGRIBUSINESS which will hold in Nigeria at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Nigeria and Grand Finale at Conrad Hotel, Dubai UAE.

By attending this conference, be rest assured to be connected with key industry people, network, build partnerships and generate a new source of revenue for your agribusiness, establishing new strategic business partnerships, network with agric stakeholders in the UAE and GCC so as to start exporting the most wanted agric products, Sesame seed to the Gulf region.

The post How To Become a Major Exporter of Sesame Seeds to UAE From Nigeria appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

Since the imposition of temporary US imports by the Chinese government, Chinese merchants of grains like sorghum and soyabeans are presently requesting for Nigeria’s sorghum and soyabeans importations. While highlighting the opportunities in Nigeria’s agricultural sector during the recent BusinessDay’s Agribusiness conference held in Lagos, Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the China’s government is now making a demand for Nigeria’s soyabeans and sorghum.
“As a result of the trade war between the US/China, the Chinese are requesting for 2,000 tons of soybeans and sorghum,” Ogbeh said.

Nigeria is a natural habitat for many varieties of sorghum and the world’s second largest producer and supplier of the crop, churning out 11 million metric tons per annum while demand is put at 12.5 million MT, leaving a gap of 1.5 million MT, according to data obtained from the Federal Ministry Agriculture.

Similarly, Nigeria is the largest producer of soyabeans in sub-Saharan Africa with a production of 750,000 metric tons per annum. The crop is said to have the potentials of being a huge export earner for the country, but years of low investment, lack of government support and natural vagaries has limited these huge potentials.

“This will open up opportunities for our export to China because the major export to China from the US are agricultural commodities,” Muda Yusuf, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said in a telephone response to Business Day questions.

“Since China is now taking a retaliation action in terms of trade against the US, it is likely to affect more of agricultural export from US to China. This would create a gap in the Chinese market for agricultural imports, and this will create opportunities for a country like Nigeria to take advantage to fill the gap that is being created. Sorghum, an important cereal crop is also fast booming in the Nigerian market as brewers in the country are now using a larger percentage of the crop in place of barley for brewing beer and malt drinks. As a result, brewers are making huge investment in sorghum plants in the country owing to their hunt for local substitutes.

Also, Nigeria’s soybeans production has been on the rise owing to huge investments in the production of the crop, as it serves as the richest and cheapest means of protein for humans as well as for animals in the country. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that a total of N14.2 billion worth of soybeans was exported in 2017.

Join other producers, exporters and key stakeholders in the Agric Value Chain for Meet The Farmers Conference holding across four African Countries and in Dubai, UAE with the focus on The Future of Agribusiness.

The post China Now Demanding For Nigeria’s Sorghum, Soyabeans – Audu Ogbeh appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses.

Fat-free soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many packaged meals.

Specialists have described soybean as a standout amongst the most legumes on the planet, because of its fundamental supplements that keep up and enhances human wellbeing.

According to Mr. Monjanrin Sunday, RSM (Edible South West), Grand Cereals, Soya bean also contains vitamins like; vitamin c, vitamin k, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B6 and thiamin. Potassium, calcium, copper, phosphorous, manganese, selenium and zinc, which are some of the other minerals that can be derived from it.

“Regular intake of soya beans helps in the prevention of cancer due to its high level of antioxidants. Its protein content makes it a choice meal that spreads around various markets across Nigeria.

Also See: Father Godfrey Nzamujo – The Man Behind Songhai Centre

“Its high vitamin and mineral content ensures healthy bones even during old age. Another benefit of soya beans is its effectiveness in aiding the functioning of the heart by lowering the total cholesterol level in the body thus preventing heart attack or stroke. With its fibre content, soya beans also help in boosting digestion and aids metabolism. Soya bean seed can be used in making different foods; including soy milk, textured vegetable protein and soya bean oil,” he said.

Sunday, said since oil is a staple ingredient for the preparation of meals, it is advisable to cook with oil made from soya bean for the prevention of heart disease and for low cholesterol intake.

The beans contain significant amounts of phytic acid, dietary minerals and B vitamins. Soy vegetable oil, used in food and industrial applications, is another product of processing the soybean crop. Traditional non-fermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk from which tofu and tofu skin are made. Fermented soy foods include soy sauce, fermented bean paste, natto and tempeh.

The main countries growing soybeans are the United States (32% of world total, 2016 forecast), Brazil (31%) and Argentina (18%).

See More Stories:

• Brookside to Train Kenya Farmers on Milk Production
• Nigeria Gains $402m From Cashew in 2017
• A promising new continent-wide trade agreement for Africa
• IFAD Announces $1m Project to Increase Agriculture in East Africa

The post Amazing Facts About Soya Bean You Need To Know appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.