Understanding food security and changes to trade & investment patterns

Joe Hepworth | 21 Sep 2020 | General

If, like me, you’ve been somewhat ignorant as to what ‘Food Security’ actually means then our latest OCO Global Broadcast will enlighten you on a fascinating area that’s hit public consciousness due to COVID-19.

Previously, I’d had a fairly basic and binary understanding of it along the lines of “food security means growing more at home and therefore importing less”.

Now, gladly disabused of this simplistic notion by our expert friends Majid & Greg from Soma Mater the nuances of what is, effectively, optimising and securing supply-chain management in an area of critical importance for most countries, are much more clear.

Food security is not mutually exclusive to trade & investment growth.  On the contrary, it’s a catalyst, but in different areas compared to the traditional buy-sell-import model we mainly see at present, with more focus on the upstream (i.e. agricultural inputs) and downstream (i.e. food processing capabilities) parts of the chain.

This will require a different approach for companies to take advantage of and most likely also propel firms which hadn’t really considered their potential in wider international supply chains into global view.

Like we’re seeing with developments in technology and healthcare, this is a trend that has been accelerated by COVID- 19 and is now on a long-term growth trajectory.  Working with firms like Soma Mater, we can help you take advantage of these economic shifts to make sure you’re optimally positioned, both here in the Gulf and worldwide.

Find out more about what support we provide for businesses setting up in the Middle East HERE