The company has officially unveiled the Dubai Food District, a major expansion and rebranding of the Al Aweer Central Fruit and Vegetable Market that will transform the site into one of the world’s largest and most advanced centres for food trade.
The project, first announced in July 2024 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, significantly broadens the market’s scope to include dairy, gourmet foods, staples and speciality products, positioning Dubai as an integrated global gateway for food trade.
The Dubai Food District will be developed in phases, with the first phase scheduled to begin in 2027. The project will more than double the size of the existing market, creating a 29 million square foot multi-category food trade hub designed to strengthen food supply chains, expand trade capacity and support regional food security.
The district will integrate trade, storage, processing and distribution within a single connected ecosystem. Planned facilities include cold stores and temperature-controlled warehousing, primary and secondary processing units, digital back-office solutions, cash-and-carry options and a gourmet food hall serving both businesses and consumers.
The Al Aweer Central Fruit and Vegetable Market first opened in 2004 and has since become one of the region’s leading food markets, supporting more than 2,500 traders supplying fresh produce across the UAE and the wider region. The expansion will preserve Al Aweer’s central role within the food ecosystem while enhancing scale, efficiency and diversity, improving speed to market and reducing supply chain risks for food businesses.
