press note
Nieleesh Sshukla
Press Note
Mega Food Park in Ahmedabad under I2U2 partnership to address food security concerns of the Middle East
Gujarat to contribute to Food Security of Middle East leveraging the I2U2 platform
New Delhi : I2U2 initiative is a strategic grouping of India, Israel, USA and UAE set up in 2022 by the Heads of States of respective countries. The key intent of this grouping is to revitalize and re-energize the system of alliances and partnerships around the world, but also stitch together partnerships that did not exist previously or were not utilized to their full extent. The key areas of cooperation include security, technology, Food Security, climate change etc.
Since food security being is a major challenge for the Middle East, the I2U2 member countries have planned on creating a framework for addressing this by making India as the base for exports of food products from India to Middle East.
In order to take this forward, a series of discussions between Government of India, Government of Gujarat and ADQ have been underway and the teams from ADQ subsequently visited Gujarat to explore possibilities of collaboration.
Basis this, the Government of Gujarat and ADQ have signed an MoU on 9th September 2024 for developing Gundanpara, Bavla, Ahmedabad for this ambitious project, with a view to commencing the Food Park project in Q2 2025. The MoU was signed in Delhi by Shri Balvantsinh Rajput, Hon’ble Minister for Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Industries, Cottage, Khadi and Rural Industries, Civil Aviation, Labour and Employment, Government of Gujarat and H.E. Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, ADQ.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Shri Balvantsinh Rajput said, “This food park being developed under I2U2, is a testament to India’s global image of a “reliable partner” under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Besides contributing to food security of the Middle East, this shall also serve as a big step in increasing farmer income, local value addition, access to latest technologies and job creation. We welcome ADQ and its affiliates to Gujarat to develop this mega food park.”
With Kind Regards,
Nieleesh Sshukla
Joint Director of Information,
Government of Gujarat,
New Delhi
