Import market · United Arab Emirates · fresh fruit and vegetables
United Arab Emirates: fresh produce imports from Peru, Ecuador and Kenya (2023 data)
Priority 2 — USD 100–500 m · trade data retrieved 26 Oct 2026
Short answer
- The United Arab Emirates reported USD 152.1 m of in-scope fresh produce imports from these origins in 2023, led by Ecuador bananas (excl. plantains) (145,301 t, USD 109.6 m).
- In the KNBS/AFA table, the United Arab Emirates ranked number 3 for Kenyan horticultural exports in 2024 (provisional): 50,729 t, KSh 10.07 billion, including cut flowers.
- PIB names this market among India's FY 2024-25 seafood destinations (Middle East). Seafood is context only here.
- The UAE had not reported 2024 imports at retrieval; its rows are 2023.
Verified trade flow = the United Arab Emirates reported the import in UN Comtrade for 2023. Hypothesis = a possible opportunity not confirmed by trade data or buyers. Nothing here is a supplier offer, price, market-access ruling or legal opinion.
Why importers source through SeedMatch instead of alone
Finding an exporter is rarely the hard part; specifying, screening and comparing offers for a perishable product with a short window is. A sourcing specialist does that work with you.
Free for buyers
No fee to submit or review a request. Qualified programmes start at USD 250,000 total annual or seasonal value.
One structured RFQ
Variety, grade and size, pack, volumes, arrival window, documents, Incoterm and cold chain in one brief.
Several suppliers, screened and compared
Responses are organised against your specification; supplier claims stay marked as declared until documents are reviewed.
Confidential, mediated contact
Your company details stay confidential. Supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, SeedMatch's parent group; suppliers do not contact you directly.
Evidence on origin and market
Trade flows and authority links on this page are dated and cited, and hypotheses are labelled.
What makes fresh produce hard to source alone
- Fruits and vegetables lose 25.4% after harvest and before retail, against 13.3% for all food. FAO, SDG indicator 12.3.1 (2023 estimate)
- Fruits and vegetables were the most-notified category in the EU Alert and Cooperation Network in 2024 (1,479 notifications, 16%); pesticide residues were the most reported issue. European Commission, ACN 2024 Annual Report
A complete specification and like-for-like comparison can help you negotiate on one basis and save your team time. These are potential benefits, not guaranteed savings, prices or margins.
Verified flows in scope
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | Bananas (excl. plantains) (080390) | 145,301 | 109.6 | 69.2% |
| Kenya | Avocados (080440) | 14,743 | 20.2 | 30.7% |
| Kenya | Mangoes, guavas, mangosteens (080450) | 6,756 | 8.3 | 7.8% |
| Kenya | Other fresh vegetables (070999) | 462 | 2.4 | 4.5% |
| Peru | Blueberries and other Vaccinium, fresh (081040) | 279 | 2.3 | 7.4% |
| Peru | Mangoes, guavas, mangosteens (080450) | 462 | 2.1 | 2% |
| Peru | Avocados (080440) | 386 | 1.9 | 2.9% |
| Peru | Mandarins incl. satsumas (080521) | 1,681 | 1.7 | 2% |
| Peru | Asparagus, fresh or chilled (070920) | 175 | 1.5 | 14.8% |
| Kenya | Beans, fresh or chilled (070820) | 385 | 1.1 | 19.6% |
| Peru | Table grapes, fresh (080610) | 335 | 1 | 1.1% |
Source: UN Comtrade, importer-reported, 2023, retrieved 26 Oct 2026.
Colombia: recorded, exporter validation pending
These imports were reported, but product-specific exporter-to-market validation for this market is incomplete; see the Colombia origin page for documented flows. Colombia
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | Other fresh fruit (incl. pitahaya, passion fruit) (081090) | 376 | 2.7 | 3.1% |
| Colombia | Mangoes, guavas, mangosteens (080450) | 266 | 1.8 | 1.7% |
| Colombia | Avocados (080440) | 352 | 1.7 | 2.5% |
Hypotheses to test (not confirmed)
- The UAE is also a re-export hub for the Gulf; avocado and banana demand may serve neighbouring markets.
RFQ specification template
The fields suppliers ask for first. Fill them once in the request; the specialist uses the same brief for every supplier.
- Product and variety
- e.g. Hass avocado; name acceptable alternatives
- Origin preference
- one or several origins, or open
- Grade, class and size
- your grade standard, size or count range
- Pack format and labelling
- carton or punnet, net weight, label language, private label
- Volume
- per shipment and per season
- Delivery window and frequency
- first and last arrival week, weekly or per-container
- Destination and Incoterm
- port or warehouse; FOB, CFR, CIF or DAP
- Documents
- see the checklist below
- Cold chain
- your temperature and transit requirements
- Total programme value
- USD 250,000 or more, annual or seasonal
Request quotes:Bananas (excl. plantains) — EcuadorAvocados — KenyaMangoes, guavas, mangosteens — Kenya
Quality and traceability document checklist
Legal requirements depend on product, origin and use; the authority link decides. Buyer practices are what many importers ask for — confirm with your own customers.
- Legal requirementPhytosanitary certificate from the exporting country's plant-protection organisation, where the destination requires one.
- Legal requirementPesticide residues within the destination's maximum residue limits for that product.
- Common buyer practiceFood-safety or good-practice certificates (for example GLOBALG.A.P., BRCGS, IFS) naming holder, site, scope and expiry.
- Common buyer practiceLot traceability from pallet to packhouse and farm.
- Common buyer practicePre-shipment quality report against your grade, and temperature records for the voyage.
- Common buyer practiceCertificate of origin where a tariff preference is claimed.
Context outside the produce RFQ
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Frozen warm-water shrimp and prawns (030617) | 22,229 | 108.6 | 57.9% |
| Ecuador | Frozen warm-water shrimp and prawns (030617) | 6,798 | 34.2 | 18.2% |
| Origin | Product (HS) | Tonnes | USD m | Share of market's imports (value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Roses, cut fresh (060311) | 2,638 | 14.2 | 74.8% |
SeedMatch does not source seafood or cut flowers. Seafood buyers can use the group's buyer-first channels: Global B2B Group · FishMatch Group
Import-readiness checklist: United Arab Emirates
The steps an importer typically works through for commercial fresh fruit and vegetables under UAE rules, each linked to the official page it rests on. Steps marked "Verify" were not confirmed from an official source in our review: treat them as questions for the authority, not as requirements.
1. MOCCAE release of the consignment
MOCCAE's release service for fresh fruit and vegetables requires a phytosanitary certificate and shipping, origin and invoice documents, and describes arrival inspection and possible laboratory testing before release.
Check before shipment
- Phytosanitary certificate from the exporting authority
- Bill of lading, invoice and certificate of origin
- Release of imported agricultural products consignment — Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE, undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
2. Pesticide-residue documentation
The same MOCCAE service asks for pesticide-residue analysis documentation for fruit and vegetable consignments.
Check before shipment
- Pre-shipment residue analysis by an accredited laboratory, where the buyer or authority requires it
- Release of imported agricultural products consignment — Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE, undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
3. Advance import permitVerify
MOCCAE's import-permit service covers seeds, seedlings, plants and similar items; this review did not confirm that ordinary fresh fruit needs it. Ask MOCCAE for the product.
Check before shipment
- Written confirmation from MOCCAE for the product
- Import permit for an agricultural consignment — Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE, undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
4. Emirate food registration, limits and labelsVerify
Not confirmed from an official source in this review: the importer's emirate-level food registration, the applicable residue standard and the labelling and shelf-life rules for fresh produce.
Check before shipment
- Importer licence and consignment registration in the emirate of entry
- Exporter's spray record for the lot compared with the destination's limit for each active substance
- Release of imported agricultural products consignment — Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE, undated page, checked 28 Oct 2026
Reviewed 28 Oct 2026. Requirements depend on the exact product, origin and use, and change. Not legal advice and no promise of clearance; the importer of record confirms the current rules with the authority before contracting.
Import authorities to check before contracting
- Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE)
Check product-specific requirements with the authority before contracting.
Each importer, exporter and supplier remains responsible for the rules that apply to its own role. Requirements vary by product, origin and use, and change; confirm the current requirement with the authority.
For growers and exporters: export-ready supply
Buyers compare consistency of size, maturity and documentation. On the supply side that depends on irrigation, packhouses and cold chain — SeedMatch's core project scope.
Sourcing fresh produce for the United Arab Emirates
Send one confidential request with products, origins, grade, packaging, volumes, delivery window and destination. A sourcing specialist reviews it before any supplier is approached; supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, and buyers and suppliers do not contact each other directly. Free for buyers; programmes from USD 250,000. SeedMatch does not grow, export, import or certify, and does not guarantee price, supply or import approval.
Questions buyers ask
Which fresh produce from Peru, Ecuador and Kenya does the United Arab Emirates import most?
By reported 2023 import value: Bananas (excl. plantains) – Ecuador (USD 109.6 m); Avocados – Kenya (USD 20.2 m); Mangoes, guavas, mangosteens – Kenya (USD 8.3 m). Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by the United Arab Emirates, retrieved 26 Oct 2026.
Does a recorded trade flow mean a product can be imported into the United Arab Emirates today?
No. Trade data shows what was imported in a past year. Current plant-health, food-safety and residue rules apply per product and origin; the importer and exporter confirm them with the authority before contracting.
Is SeedMatch free for importers?
Yes. Buyers do not pay to submit or review a request. Managed sourcing is for programmes of at least USD 250,000 total annual or seasonal value.
Which documents should I ask an exporter for?
Typically the phytosanitary certificate where required, evidence that residues meet the destination's limits, food-safety or good-practice certificates with holder, site, scope and expiry, lot traceability and a pre-shipment quality report. The legal list depends on product, origin and the authority.
How does sourcing through SeedMatch work for this market?
Send one confidential request. A sourcing specialist reviews it before suppliers are approached; supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, and buyers and suppliers do not contact each other directly. SeedMatch does not grow, export, import or certify.
Exporters by origin: Peru · Ecuador · Kenya · India · Colombia
- UN Comtrade Database — importer-reported imports by partner, annual, HS six-digit — United Nations Statistics Division, 2026-10-26
- Agroexportaciones cierran el 2024 con un récord de US$ 12,798 millones (ten main destination countries) — MIDAGRI, Peru, 2025-02-11
- National Agriculture Production Report 2025, Table 4.11: Top 20 horticultural export destinations (AFA data, 2024 provisional) — Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2025-10
- India's Seafood Exports: From Growth to Global Competitiveness (FY 2024-25 destinations) — Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 2026-04-03
Trade figures are importer-reported (UN Comtrade public API, retrieved 26 Oct 2026), 2024 except the UAE (2023, the latest it had reported). Rows under USD 0.5 m are omitted. HS codes may group several products. In scope: Peruvian blueberries, grapes, avocados, mangoes, mandarins and asparagus; Ecuadorian bananas; Kenyan avocados, beans, mangoes and other vegetables. Shrimp is context only. Not legal advice.