The UAE will expand its agricultural investment activities in other countries as part of efforts to strengthen its food security system, a senior government official said.
The focus of the country’s overseas agricultural investments would involve strategic food crops such as wheat, rice, vegetables and fruits and livestock.
“The government is in the process of strengthening the country’s food security system through a comprehensive range of policies that include promoting cooperation with other countries and markets, diversifying sources, and attracting local and foreign agricultural investment,” said Essa Al Hashmi, assistant under-secretary of the Ministry for Sustainable Communities and acting assistant under-secretary for Green Development and Climate Change, WAM reported.
Al Hashmi also said the ministry has adopted the highest food safety systems to ensure compliance with its requirements and specifications.
The UAE’s food import rate increased by 21 percent in the first half of 2022, recording over 41,000 tonnes of imported food on a daily basis, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said.
Al Hashmi said ensuring food abundance and the continuity and sustainability of supply chains was a key goal of the ministry and is part of its strategy to ensure the country’s food security.
“The ministry is also keen to make food widely available, in cooperation and coordination with federal and local authorities,” he said.
Al Hashmi pointed out the UAE’s efforts to ensure the sustainability of its supply chain, including various imports from all countries such as India, Brazil, Canada, the USA, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Pakistan.
