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The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry represented the emirate at SIAL Paris 2026 with a pavilion that brought together government entities and private companies from the food sector. The chamber’s participation reflected its drive to expand the global reach of national products and attract fresh capital into local manufacturing. A statement issued by the chamber noted that the event served as a platform to display the diversity of Sharjah-made food items and their capacity to enter new markets. The delegation held multiple business meetings with international firms and investors to explore partnerships in the food industry.
Participants at the Sharjah pavilion included the Sharjah Agricultural and Livestock Production Establishment known as EKTIFA, the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority and the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority along with the companies Al Mehwar and PSL. The group was led by Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, director-general of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with Ali Abdullah Al Jari, director of the Sharjah Exports Development Centre, and Maha Mansour Al Zarouni, senior exhibitions executive. Al Awadi stated that the chamber’s involvement aligned with its strategic goals to strengthen the competitiveness of Sharjah’s economic sectors through quality international partnerships. The statement from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry added that such engagements help national food and beverage firms grow while drawing targeted investments.
Sharjah’s industrial infrastructure includes more than 3,000 factories, over 25 percent of which are advanced food manufacturing facilities that export to numerous global destinations, the chamber’s statement indicated. This manufacturing base positions the emirate to scale production and meet rising international demand for processed foods. The chamber used the Paris exhibition to highlight incentives and support programmes available to investors entering the sector.
Separately the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority participated in the same exhibition to present its advantages for food and beverage businesses. Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, director of the authority, said SIAL Paris 2026 offered a key venue to connect with leading companies and learn about innovations in the food industry while seeking collaboration that expands operations and investment flows. Al Mazrouei noted that the free zone already hosts more than 235 food companies in addition to 84 operating specifically in food and beverages, according to authority figures. He added that continued development of services and logistics helps improve supply chain efficiency in line with the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051.
The five-day SIAL Paris 2026 drew roughly 8,000 exhibitors from 130 countries who displayed nearly 400,000 products along with participation from 650 start-ups, industry data show. Such scale provided Sharjah representatives with extensive opportunities to benchmark local offerings against global trends and form commercial ties. Meetings at the exhibition focused on cooperation in manufacturing, distribution and technology adoption within the food sector.
Sharjah attracted 7.74 billion dirhams in foreign direct investment across 142 projects during 2025, an increase that the Sharjah FDI Office linked to the emirate’s focus on sectors including light manufacturing and logistics. The food industry forms a growing part of that inbound capital as free zones streamline licensing and infrastructure for specialised facilities. Participation in major trade fairs such as SIAL supports the target of 20 percent annual FDI growth set by the Sharjah FDI Office for the current year.
Business discussions during the exhibition also covered supply chain resilience and market expansion strategies that match Sharjah’s geographic position between the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The chamber’s statement emphasised that these conversations help local producers diversify export routes and adopt new processing technologies. Officials expressed confidence that the contacts established in Paris will translate into measurable investment commitments in the months ahead.
