Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Denys Bashlyk and Deputy Foreign Minister of the UAE Omar Obaid Al Hassan Al Shamsi (photo - Ministry of Economy)

Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates have signed a letter of intent to establish an agri-food hub as part of the Food from Ukraine initiative. This was reported by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture.

The United Arab Emirates has significant political and economic influence in the Middle East. Economically, the UAE is the region's central trade, financial and investment hub, actively attracting foreign investment and regional projects.

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Prospects for the creation of agri-food hubs as a new format of international cooperation in the field of food security were discussed by Deputy Minister Denys Bashlyk during a working visit to the UAE with Khaled Al Attar, CEO of DIHAD Sustainable Organization, and Omar Obaid Al Hassan Al Shamsi, Deputy Foreign Minister of the UAE.

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DIHAD Sustainable is a specialized platform and international initiative aimed at promoting sustainable practices in agriculture, food, water, forestry and environmental management. It brings together government agencies, international organizations, agribusiness, academia and NGOs to share knowledge, best practices and technologies.

The Ukrainian delegation presented the concept of the agri-food hub to their foreign colleagues as envisioned by the Ukrainian side — as a modern platform for processing, storage and export of Ukrainian products to the markets of the Middle East and the Global South.

The parties confirmed their mutual interest in continuing cooperation to develop this initiative, taking into account the UAE's strategic role as a potential regional leader in the Gulf.

Denys Bashlyk emphasized that the United Arab Emirates is a key partner for Ukraine in the development of modern agri-food logistics and processing infrastructure.

"We see the creation of hubs as a strategic element of the new food security architecture not only for Ukraine but also for the Middle East and Africa. This initiative has significant investment potential and opens the way to the implementation of joint projects with high added value," the Deputy Minister said.

The Ministry of Economy began promoting agri-hub projects and the Food from Ukraine program in November 2025. At that time, Ukraine signed a memorandum with Ghana to establish a center for the processing and distribution of Ukrainian products in West Africa.

  • "Food from Ukraine is a new stage of the Grain from Ukraine initiative, launched in 2022 to strengthen Ukraine's role in the fight against the global food crisis. Its main idea is to supply Ukrainian grain to countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and other regions on the verge of famine.
  • Since 2022, hundreds of thousands of tons of agricultural products (wheat and flour, corn, peas and oil) have been shipped to 18 countries in Africa and Asia under the initiative: Bangladesh, Djibouti, Congo, Yemen, Ethiopia, Zambia, Kenya, Mauritania, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania and Chad.
  • As a result of the three Grain from Ukraine summits, more than $370 million in donor funds were raised."