Trading House for Food Security
Nov 18th, 2010 | By co | Category: Abu Dhabi News, BusinessAbu Dhabi plans trading house for food security
Abu Dhabi plans to set up a trading house with a capital base of several hundred million dollars in a bid to secure food supplies for the import-dependent nation, (Source: Financial Times).Citing people familiar with the plans, the newspaper said the government-owned Abu Dhabi Sources also aims to capture profit margins in metals and agriculture trading. For the past three months, it said, the firm has been wooing senior traders in the European trading hubs of London and Geneva to build up staff. The move is designed to secure Abu Dhabi’s flow of imports even in the event of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf’s key waterway, which could be affected by any military confrontation with Iran.
Abu Dhabi, home to 95 percent of the hydrocarbon reserves of the United Arab Emirates, is transforming itself into a global city and has kicked off ambitious infrastructure plans worth more than $300bn that require a huge flow of raw materials. As part of its food security strategy, Abu Dhabi is building silos in the smaller emirate of Fujairah, but it was not clear if the new firm would trade in oil.Commodities prices have rocketed in the past six years, fuelled by demand from China and other emerging markets, driving up metals such as iron ore 38 percent this year, with foodgrains such as corn and wheat up 28 percent and 17 percent respectively.
