News DeskDubai, UAE – Global technology company Zoho has signed a strategic partnership with the UAE Food Cluster to accelerate the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the country’s food manufacturing and trading sectors.
The collaboration aims to strengthen industry competitiveness by integrating digital tools across finance, operations, compliance, and performance management — helping SMEs modernise and streamline their business processes.
Under the agreement, more than 300 food-sector SMEs are expected to adopt digital solutions over the next two years, with an initial rollout targeting 100 companies in the first phase. The programme will provide participating firms access to core digital modules covering finance and accounting, inventory and supply chain management, human resources, and data analytics.
Powered by Zoho’s enterprise-grade cloud technologies, these tools will offer SMEs scalable, secure, and AI-driven capabilities traditionally used by larger corporations. The initiative also supports the UAE’s growing focus on corporate tax compliance, operational efficiency, and data-driven competitiveness.
Each module integrates seamlessly within Zoho’s technology stack, delivering real-time insights and automation that enhance accuracy, reduce manual work, and support smarter decision-making.
The partnership aligns with national priorities around food security, sustainability, and economic diversification, and seeks to strengthen the UAE’s food ecosystem through innovation, collaboration, and capacity building. Participating SMEs will benefit from compliant accounting systems aligned with UAE corporate tax and VAT requirements, alongside improved production and workforce management tools.
A shared implementation framework will be introduced to enable knowledge transfer and reduce the overall cost of digital adoption for SMEs.
Signing the memorandum of understanding during the Global Food Week (GFW), Saleh Lootah, Chairman of UAE Food Cluster, said: “SMEs are the backbone of the UAE’s food ecosystem. This partnership with Zoho will help us create a unified, digitally empowered sector capable of competing on efficiency and compliance, both locally and globally. By embedding digital capabilities within SME operations, this initiative aims to significantly improve productivity, traceability, and competitiveness, contributing to the UAE’s broader objectives of food security, sustainability, and economic diversification.”
Prem Anand Velumani, Associate Director of Strategic Alliances at Zoho Middle East and Africa, added: “Zoho is proud to support the UAE’s vision for a resilient and innovation-driven food economy. By harnessing our enterprise technology and AI-powered platform stack, SMEs can achieve faster digital maturity and improved performance across all aspects of their operations.”
The partnership marks a major step toward building a digitally empowered and future-ready food sector in the UAE.
