UAE targets 50% basic food from local farms by end of 2023
By the end of this year, the UAE hopes to obtain 50% of some essential food requirements from local farmers and producers, with the goal of boosting that percentage to 100% by 2030. The UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCE), Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, made this announcement on Tuesday during the first National Dialogue for Food Security (NDFS), a special initiative by MoCCE designed to increase local farms' production and marketing efficiency in order to guarantee the food security of the UAE. In accordance with the effort, a number of public and commercial organisations, including certain eateries and caterers, will purchase 50% of 10 staple goods, like meat, chicken, eggs, dates, green leaves, and tomatoes, locally. According to Almheiri, "We see food security as a national security concern and a driver of economic development, inspired by the vision of our leader, His Highness SheikhMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. She continued, ...