Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
In line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, aimed at increasing the contribution of the agricultural sector in supporting the economic system of the Emirate and the state, by contributing to the GDP of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi , the agricultural production in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is achieving remarkable growth in terms of volume and value, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% for the period 2017-2020, where the total value of agricultural production, both plant and animal, is estimated at about 13.7 billion dirhams in 2020, an increase of 12% over 2019, to rise Thus, the contribution of the agricultural sector to the emirate’s GDP reached 1.1% in 2020, compared to 0.8% during previous years, which is in line with the goals and aspirations of the Abu Dhabi government to achieve an integrated and flexible system for food security in the emirate, by supporting and developing agricultural production, both animal and plant.
The agricultural sector, with its two parts, plant and animal, is one of the main sectors within the GDP components of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and its contribution to the GDP is calculated after calculating the value of all economic activities and sectors of the Emirate.
This remarkable increase in the volume of agricultural production, both plant and animal, is the result of the plans and policies developed and implemented by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority to achieve the goals and priorities of the government. And vertical farming systems with the ability to produce 5 to 10 times the production in traditional agriculture, and the application of irrigation techniques to improve water consumption efficiency, in addition to the use of algorithms to determine the potential risks of the spread of epidemics and animal diseases, and motivating farmers to benefit from the results and outputs of agricultural research appropriate to the environment and climate of the Emirate Abu Dhabi, where staple crops that have the potential to enhance food security while optimizing the use of natural resources are being piloted and introduced.
The statistical data collected by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, in cooperation with the Statistics Center Abu Dhabi, indicates that the volume of local agricultural production, both plant and animal, amounted to 707,774 tons during the year 2020, where the plant production accounted for 59.6% of the total agricultural production, and reached About 421,524 tons, an increase of 33% over the volume of production in 2017, compared to an increase of 27% in livestock production over the same period, which in turn accounted for about 40.4% of the total agricultural production of about 286.250 tons. The quantities of animal and vegetable production were distributed according to the type of product. With regard to animal production, the volume of cow’s milk production in commercial animal production farms reached about 168,273 tons, representing 58% of the total animal production, while poultry meat production amounted to about 50,718 tons, or 18% of the total production. Animal production, followed by table eggs, which accounted for 15% of the total animal production, reaching 42,916 tons, then red meat by 9%, and the volume of production amounted to 25,662 tons.
As for the vegetable sector, the production of dates acquired the largest proportion of it, reaching about 258.335 tons, representing 61% of the total plant production, compared to 39% for the production of vegetables and fruits, with a total production of 163,189 tons. The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority expects to increase the volume of agricultural production, both animal and vegetable, without fodder, to about 741,886 tons, an increase of 33% compared to the production achieved in 2017, and an increase of 5% compared to the production of 2020.
Statistical estimates conducted by the “Authority” through the survey of commercial farms and farms of small producers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi indicate that animal production will achieve a qualitative leap with an increase of 62% compared to animal production in 2017, and an increase of 12% compared to production in 2020, while production growth is expected Vegetables and fruits increased by 16.5% compared to the 2017 production.