ASMAK, the Middle East’s leading provider of fresh and frozen seafood, and a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), today announced a new strategic distribution agreement with FISH FARM, the UAE’s pioneering aquaculture company.
The signing ceremony, witnessed by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, coincided with the opening of the Gulfood, the world's largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition, at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Under the terms of the new agreement, ASMAK will distribute FISH FARM products to reach a wider customer population locally and regionally through its world-class processing facility and strong distribution channels, including wholesale, food service, and retail.
Almheiri said:
"Enhancing the capacity of the UAE’s aquaculture and fisheries sector is an essential aspect of the National Food Security Strategy 2051 and plays a key role in driving environmental sustainability. Therefore, this agreement aims to create a sustainable food value chain from controlled freshwater and seawater environments with efficient processing and supply chains to the UAE consumers, which minimizes food waste. The cooperation between the two leading seafood companies will give a further boost to domestic seafood production."
Mamoon Othman, Chief Executive Officer of ASMAK, said:
"We know there is a lot to consider when choosing a partner for cold chain distribution, ASMAK aim to remove the complexity and the challenge of finding the right resources and provide our customers with complete solutions that make sense for their unique business. Our new agreement supports our local farming efforts of FISH FARM while providing quality seafood products with high nutrition value to UAE consumers."
FISH FARM was established in the UAE in 2013, focusing on marine fish breeding and establishing a hatchery to support the local aquaculture industry and reduce the dependency on foreign imported fish.
Bader Bin Mubarak, Chief Executive Officer of FISH FARM, said:
"Fish Farm plays a key role in national food security, and it manages to fulfil a significant lot of the massive demand from the local market and has quickly developed into a prominent player in the industry. This agreement supports our future expansion plans that aim to reduce imports and secure sustainable supplies to local markets."
FISH FARM has set up three facilities - a caged farming facility in Dibba Al-Fujairah, a hatchery in Umm al-Quwain rearing marine life in an artificially controlled environment, and an inland farming facility in Jebel Ali.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
