More than 100 senior nationals who own national farms participated in the Emirates Farmers Forum, which was organized by the Sharjah Cooperative for the fourth year in a row, under the slogan “Plant in the Emirates,” and continues until January 21 at the cooperative’s headquarters in the Al Rahmaniyah Commercial Center, out of its keenness to market its products. Local farms under the continuous support and care of the wise leadership.
The Assistant Undersecretary for the Food Diversity Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Engineer Mohammed Al Amiri, stated that there is a trend to increase local food production through innovative agriculture, pointing out that the UAE launched the National Strategy for Food Security in 2018, with the ambitious goal of becoming one of the best in the world in Global Food Security Index, explaining that the food security system in the UAE is based on three main pillars: increasing local food production, diversifying food import sources, and investing in the food and agricultural sectors.
He added: “By strengthening this national system, we aim to enable citizens and residents of the UAE to obtain healthy, nutritious and sufficient food at a reasonable price at all times, including times of emergencies and crises, and in order to enhance our ability to do this, we are working to increase local production.” From food, today we are turning to the latest technologies and innovative farming methods to enhance local agricultural production while improving the quality and diversity of local products, using modern food technology such as hydroponic and vertical farms, in addition to modern fish farms, all of which are technologies that reduce water consumption by up to 90% and do not require Mostly agricultural soil.”
He pointed out that the UAE is currently producing, from the heart of the desert, unusual types of food in our region, such as tropical fruits, salmon fish, and many others, pointing to Sharjah’s pioneering projects to which His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has given great attention. On top of which is the “Seven Snapels” project, which we are counting on to produce wheat, which is considered a strategic crop, in addition to the “Cow Farm Project,” which includes bred cows that have never been distributed before to any country in the world, and Sharjah will import them from their original homeland to extract the finest types of milk from them. Rich in proteins and nutrients.
He stressed the state’s tendency towards increasing local production in the Emirates by supporting citizen farmers in particular, in order to build a sustainable national food sector with national hands, and this was represented by the launch of the “Enhancing the Sustainability of National Farms” initiative, through which we work to make citizen farms a major resource for many… Agricultural crops and food products for major food supply companies operating in the UAE.
He said that the initiative’s work team succeeded in securing the first major deal last July, under which local products worth 500 million dirhams will be supplied to a group of the largest public sector institutions in the UAE, and the country’s efforts are prominent on multiple tracks, including increasing investments in the sector. Agricultural and food production, and ensuring the application of the best international standards in the safety of these products, and all of this comes thanks to the complementary efforts between the public and private sectors, and the use of modern technological techniques.
For his part, the CEO of Sharjah Cooperative, Majid Salem Al-Junaid, said: “The forum aims to develop the local production system, encourage reliance on local resources, and emphasize the role of Sharjah Cooperative in supporting local farms, by marketing its products in branches and giving them priority in sales, marketing and facilities. In terms of procedures for registering farms and the supply mechanism, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The Executive Director of the Supply Chain Sector at Sharjah Cooperative, Rashid bin Huwaiden, said that the cooperative seeks through this forum to support citizen farmers, highlight their efforts and help them display their agricultural crops and contribute to selling and marketing them through its branches, pointing out that the forum represents a platform for gathering Farmers are in one place, allowing them to exchange ideas and experiences that will develop the agricultural sector.
He added that the Sharjah Cooperative is proud to be a contributor to supporting the growth of the agricultural sector and achieving food security in the country, and is proud of the vision adopted by the Sharjah government to achieve development in its comprehensive sense, through integrating the roles of government departments with national institutions to promote sustainable development.
He stressed the cooperative’s keenness to adopt the best modern practices and innovations that serve the agricultural sector in the emirate, support its development plans and raise awareness and education among shoppers in constructive cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock on the importance of consuming local products and its positive impact on health, in addition to educating farmers and providing Best practices and providing the necessary data and information to produce the most in-demand items that suit local needs.
He pointed out that the Sharjah Cooperative has worked over the past years to support more than 100 local productive farms nationwide, including organic farms, hydroponic farms, and sustainable agriculture farms, by displaying and marketing its products in its 52 branches spread across the Emirate of Sharjah and giving them priority in the display areas of all branches, as It allocated more than 1,000 square meters of total space in the cooperative's 52 branches spread across the Emirate of Sharjah to display its products, which had a positive impact on sales of local agricultural products, which rose by 10% over the previous years.
The farmers participating in the forum appreciated the Sharjah Cooperative’s support for them, stressing the importance of having marketing outlets to display their agricultural products, pointing to the role of the forum in bringing farmers together with consumers in one place.
Engineer Muhammad Al-Amiri:
• The UAE currently produces, from the heart of the desert, unusual types of food, such as tropical fruits and salmon.
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