The major disturbances wrought in the Middle East during the Arab Spring have failed to damage business for the majority of the UAE's fresh produce traders. Nowhere in the,- Middle East has the impact of the Arab Spring gone unnoticed. The high demandfor fruit and vegetables in the uae market over the summer of 2011, for instance, could in part be attributed to the disturbances experienced elsewhere in the region, with fewer people choosing to return home to the likes of Egypt and Syria, as they usually would during the intensely hot summer months. Although few protests were seen in the emirates themselves, the effect of the Arab Spring has been highly noticeable to close observers. Ali Arjomandi of Dubai-based importer-exporter Marhaba Trading says that the backlog caused by the unrest has led to far higher shipping costs. Ali Bidshahri of Dubai company Yalda Trading has noticed the same effect, but remains unconcerned.
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