[Editor’s Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]
The UAE did not face any food shortages during the recent regional crisis, the country’s Minister of Climate Change and Environmentsaid said, citing years of investment in local agriculture and diversified imports that helped safeguard supplies.
“We’ve seen our local produce available abundantly in our retail points,” Dr Amna Al Dahak told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Emirates Agriculture Conference and Exhibition in Al Ain.
“The UAE has worked relentlessly through past years to diversify our imports through the different strategic whether it’s strategic commodities or other food items, but also we’ve invested in empowering the local produce and empowering the local food industries to contribute effectively to the UAE food system and the holistic ecosystem.”
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She said UAE farmers are contributing across sectors, from honey and fruits and vegetables to food industries, dates and livestock.
“If they visit the Emirates Agriculture Conference and Exhibition, they will see firsthand how this community is very strong, very resilient and very focused to contribute to the UAE food systems.”
The UAE, she said, is stepping up efforts to turn agricultural innovation into viable businesses, with the number of entrepreneurs at the national conference rising from 24 last year to 40 this year.
The minister also announced three new youth initiatives developed by the Emirates Youth Council for Agriculture: a Young Farmers Stamp for youth farm owners, an Agricultural Ambassadors programme to build awareness among young Emiratis, and an expanded entrepreneurs track now at 40 participants.
“There is an abundance of economic opportunities in the sector. You just need to approach it differently,” she said.
On the exhibition floor, entrepreneurs said the conference goes beyond a showcase. “It places us at the heart of an integrated ecosystem that brings together farmers, government entities, investors, experts and consumers,” said Moath Mohammed, systems analyst at Raee, a smart platform for unified halal data management. “For startups, this environment gives innovation a real chance to be tested against actual needs, and to move from a promising idea to a project that makes a tangible impact on the agricultural sector.”
The conference also saw the launch of the Universities Hackathon under the theme ‘The Farm-to-Market Innovation Challenge’, with winning ideas fast-tracked into incubation. “This is not a generation of bystanders it is a generation that innovates and leads,” said Engineer Amal Abdulrahim, Chief AI and Innovation Officer at the Ministry.
The conference, held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and launched in the presence of Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region, runs until April 26 at Adnec Centre Al Ain.
Source: Khaleej Times