Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, chaired the ninth meeting of the Farmers’ Council, to review the latest developments in the national agricultural sector and to discuss the Ministry’s initiatives to promote its sustainable growth.

The meeting also focused on identifying the needs of the farmers to increase domestic productivity and thereby optimise imports.

Mariam Almheiri said the UAE leadership places utmost importance on supporting farmers to enhance sustainability of the agricultural sector and ensure national food security.

She said, “The transformation of the agricultural sector to make it more sustainable was a top priority for the UAE during the recent COP28 held in Dubai. This is underpinned by the ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action’ being endorsed by 159 countries. These countries have a population of over 6.2 billion people, with 530 million farmers, and account for 77 percent of all the food we eat as well as 83 percent of all emissions from food systems.”

Almheiri said that one of the key goals of the UAE in the coming years is to make agricultural systems more sustainable and climate-smart, and that the Ministry will support farmers to enhance agricultural productivity and conserve natural resources.

She underlined the significance of maintaining open channels of communication with farmers to address their requirements.

She stressed the need for collective efforts by the government, the private sector, and all other stakeholders to promote the sustainability of the national farms and create new economic prospects for farmers.

The meeting, held in Fujairah, was attended by several high-ranking officials including Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry, Mohammed Mousa Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Food Diversity Sector, and Shaikha Ahmed Al Ali, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Regions Sector.

WAM