Farming is one of the pillars of national economy, says Dr Thani

DUBAI: Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, has expressed his appreciation for the active role of local agricultural companies and national farms and their efforts in supporting and strengthening the productivity of the agricultural sector in the country.

This came during Dr. Al Zeyoudi's field tour to underline the ministry's role in strengthening the agricultural sector towards achieving sustainable development to enhance food diversity for present and future generations. He urged farmers to move to commercial agriculture and embrace modern cultivation practices to increase their contributions to the local food supply.

"Farming is one of the pillars of the national economy and part of the ministry's strategy to achieve the vision of the wise leadership and the national agenda represented by the UAE vision 2021," he added.

During the tour, Al Zeyoudi and his accompanying delegation toured Madar Farms, an emerging agricultural technology company in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, to view the hydroponics containers that the company designed and installed to produce leafy plants all year round.

He emphasised that the agriculture and food diversification is one of the most important sectors that depend on innovation and the use of modern technology and tools. Therefore, the ministry supports its efforts to achieve environmental leadership for sustainable development.

The Minister also visited the Eco-Villa pilot project at Masdar City incorporates various water- and energy-saving technologies. A suite of passive energy and water-saving design features further reduce its impact on the environment.

He also visited the Nabteh Farm in Al Khawaneej area in Dubai during which he was briefed on the green houses that the company provides to the community members to use in their homes, saving land, water and energy through innovative and modern agricultural technologies.

Al Zeyoudi also visited the farm of Abdul Latif Al-Banna in Al-Aweer area in Dubai to view the agricultural and animal products produced at the farm through the use of various modern irrigation methods, benefiting from the great support the owner received from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, which provided guidance and agricultural supplies.

Concluding the field tour, Al Zeyoudi pointed out that sustaining food diversity relies heavily on innovation and the employment of cutting-edge technologies. The Ministry supports all efforts in this field and works on strengthening such national agricultural initiatives and encouraging the adoption of modern and environmentally friendly agricultural practices such as organic and aquatic agriculture.

WAM