Nurturing UAE Food Security

A Holistic Approach towards Boosting Local Agriculture Production

Introduction

In the pursuit of enhancing food security and reducing dependency on food imports, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is poised to implement a comprehensive set of strategies and policies aimed at prioritizing domestic agricultural production. This dedicated article delves into the multifaceted approach required to achieve these goals while maintaining economic efficiency and sustainability.

Strategy

In its concerted effort to steer away from oil-centric economic dependency, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is actively championing the growth of various sectors, with a notable focus on food and agriculture and the diversification of non-oil industries. The UAE has set ambitious targets, with aspirations to amplify the economic contributions of the food and agriculture sector by a substantial $10 billion and generate 20,000 employment opportunities within the forthcoming five years. These strategic measures are integral to fortifying the nation's food security, as recently announced by HE Abdoula Bin Touq the UAE Minister of Economy.

UAE to bolster food and agriculture sector's contribution to economy by $10bn

The UAE has achieved an exceptional ranking on the 2022 Global Food Security Index among its regional counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa and has set a National Food Security Strategy for 2051 aiming to be on top of the GFSI by 2051. This has been achieved through the combined efforts of local players and the UAE leadership vision and support to encourage local production, enhance supply chain through an advanced interconnected network and a strategic national and private storage facilities.??

Nevertheless, the food industry faces real and current challenges, particularly in these times of uncertainty that the 2051 National Strategy aims to address through a comprehensive framework comprising seven pivotal pillars aimed at transforming the food and agriculture sector. This transformative strategy places a strong emphasis on fostering domestic innovation, fostering a culture of UAE-first initiatives throughout the food supply chain, and providing farmers with the essential support and resources. These efforts collectively position the UAE to assume a commanding role as a global leader in agricultural technology and sustainability.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

From an industry perspective, the private sector input for the support and success of these strategies is vital. The resilience and adaptability of the Private Agriculture sector to ist current standing and the practical adaptation of the 7 Strategic Pillars at least from the authors perspective ought to consider the following hands on approach:

Protection of Local Production

The UAE has and will always be a pillar of Free Trade Globally and to that effect it has adopted the open market strategy at the expense of protection of Local Production, our request here is no deterrence from UAE policies but to level the playing fields for UAE growers by:

• Regulating the import market and placing measures that ensure that imported produce follow the same quality and safety standards of UAE growers. The implementation of mandatory Global Gap on fresh produce imports guarantees the safety of the consumer and ensures the protection of local growers who invest into achieving it and is a right guaranteed by the World Trade Organization under its SPS Agreement.?
• Adoption of an Agriculture Import Calendar in line with the WTO Free Trade Regulations that does not discriminate against trading partners or create unjustified barriers to trade while complying with transparency requirements while still respecting the international agreements related to trade in agriculture products.?

The implementation of both practices can ensure protection for local production during our peak production months (winter season) while ensuring fair pricing of goods for end users and growers alike by regulating imports influx and maintaining the safety standards of our food supplies.

Investing in Agricultural Research and Development Centers

The establishment of Agriculture Focused? Research and Development (R&D) centers is pivotal to address specific challenges faced by UAE growers. This has proven successful in many nations as in the case of South Korea.? Research should focus on developing salt-tolerant crop varieties and heat-resistant breeds tailored to the UAE's unique climate conditions. Here are some key ways in which R&D can assist Agriculture in the UAE:

• Improved Crop Varieties:R&D? to develop new crop varieties that are better adapted to UAE's specific climate and water conditions. Developing varieties that are heat resistant and salt tolerant that can produce higher yields, and are more resistant to local? pests and diseases. R&D focused on the diversification of agricultural products to expand beyond traditional crops to include high-value crops such as fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops. This diversification reduces the country's reliance on a few imported staple crops and adds resilience to the agricultural sector.
• Sustainable Agriculture Practices:Research into adoption of sustainable agriculture practices in the UAE. This includes the use of environmentally friendly farming techniques, reduced chemical inputs, and better water management. Sustainable practices help preserve the long-term health of the soil and ecosystems, ensuring the viability of agriculture for future generations. Acclimatize or localize the Regenerative Agriculture practice to the UAE growing conditions.
• Technological Advancements:Investment in R&D to bring? technological advancements to UAE's agriculture sector. This is not limited to the use of precision agriculture, but includes on national level the adoption of data analytics for optimizing planting and harvesting to forecast production and implement orientation. These technologies enhance efficiency, reduce input costs and improve sales prices.
• Climate Resilience:Research to develop agricultural practices and crop varieties that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. This is crucial in a world where extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and the UAE is no exception.? The UAE farmers are better equipped to adapt to changing climate conditions and can export practices and techniques used to countries struggling with the new climatic conditions.
• Knowledge Transfer:R&D initiatives often involve knowledge transfer programs to educate farmers about best practices and the latest advancements. This helps ensure that the benefits of research reach the grassroots level and are effectively implemented.

Facilitating Access to Finance for Agricultural Development

While enabling access to finance is a significant step, catering these products and modifying them to meet the local growers requirements and ensure this does not turn into a liability on the Grower. The local production in Medium and High tech Structures is high capital expenditure costs, when paired with the market fluctuations it poses risks to agricultural investments. To counter this, specialized agricultural finance should consider offering subsidized long-term loans. This financial support encourages farmers to invest in medium and high-tech technologies that enhance production efficiency and lower the production cost of crops. The Emirates Development Bank has taken the lead in targeting the industry and coming up with innovative products that would tackle these constraints.

Balancing Local Production with Market Dynamics

Local Production in the UAE has its own particular challenges, from extreme weather conditions to lack of natural resources and open market policies that often oversupplies that market from neighboring countries at prices below the BEP of local producers.??

Avoiding overproduction and price fluctuations within the local market requires a multi-pronged approach:

• Real-time Data and Digital Platforms: Creating a national database for local farmers and producers along with a High Technbsp; digital platform leveraging the power of machine learning and Artificial intelligence to predict and forecast production yields of crops and prices allowing regulatory authorities to plan and regulate market prices effectively by market orientation.
• Market Orientation: with the insights and data provided by the National Digital Platform, regulatory authorities have the ability to Align production with market demands and ensure that farmers grow crops with guaranteed buyers or to the least insuring prices that are above the BEP (Break Even Point), reducing the risk of surpluses or financial burdens.nbsp;
• Subsidized Export Initiatives: To prevent market oversupply, authorities can introduce targeted subsidies that encourage the export of surplus produce to third-party countries. Bilateral trade agreements can be established to exchange surplus products for items not grown locally. This strategy capitalizes on the UAEs unique winter production window when European and Russian markets have high demand for fresh vegetables.

Summary:

The UAE's journey toward food security through enhanced local agriculture production necessitates a holistic approach that combines? import regulations, innovative research and development, accessible finance options, and a well-coordinated market strategy. By implementing these measures, the UAE can strike a balance between economic efficiency and self-sufficiency in food production, ultimately ensuring a more secure and sustainable future for its citizens & residents.

Hassan Halawy

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/hassanhalawy/