UAE sets priorities right on food, water

The UAE always sets its priorities right. And that’s the precise reason the country has been scoring high marks on all fronts. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai has made it clear that food and water security are among the priorities of the UAE Government for the post-coronavirus, COVID-19, period, and the objective is to launch specialist initiatives that will ensure our readiness to confront all types of crises.

Sheikh Mohammed has also directed Minister of State for Food Security Mariam Bint Mohammad Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi to follow up the UAE national food reserve, invest in food technology, develop international partnerships that help providing practical solutions for the country in the field of food and water security.

In Sheikh Mohammed’s words: “The UAE’s food and water security is an integral part of the national security and the sustainability of our food and water resources is a guarantee for our sustainable development”.

The Cabinet approval earlier for the ‘UAE Sustainable Agriculture System’ was a hugely welcome step as it would undoubtedly help increase self-sufficiency in crops, increasing returns and investments in the sector.

The UAE Sustainable Agriculture System is the first of its kind and aims to increase UAE’s self-sufficiency from agricultural production and increase the workforce in the agricultural sector.

As mentioned by Minister of State for Food Security Mariam Bint Mohammad Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi, the leadership has a futuristic vision that will help in finding practical solutions for the global challenges, both now and in the future.

On another front, Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, this week toured Al Dhara border crossing in Ras Al Khaimah to review the efficiency and capacity of veterinary labs in the emirate.

In a bid to reinforce the UAE’s position as a livestock re-export hub for the wider region, the tour explored the prospects for increasing the volume of inbound livestock consignments and the number of imported livestock markets in the country.

In H1 2020, the UAE’s ports received 461,228 units of livestock for local consumption from 24 countries.

The UAE has successfully embraced new ideas and projects to help further enhance food production. The leadership has a clear strategy and sufficient resources to achieve the objectives on this front. The country has been moving in the right direction to achieve self-sufficiency.

To help traders and consumers boost their confidence in the local product and enhance its competitiveness in the market, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, ADAFSA, recently issued 36 post-harvest practice guides covering 41 crops, including 21 guides for vegetables and 15 guides for fruits

The ADAFSA is keen to gather these guides in one book issued under the name “Guide to Postharvest Practices”, to be a reference for good post-harvest practices, and a guide for farmers to enable them to maintain post-harvest quality and minimise crop losses and thereby increase farm revenues.

The country’s ability to ensure sustained flow of food supplies during the exceptional situation created by the COVID-19 outbreak through successful measures implemented by the government showed the strength and resilience of national food security strategies and the capability to respond effectively to the needs of the community.

It is significant to note that the UAE markets did not witness any shortage in food supply.