Since he unveiled each of the seven essential components of the plan of action in achieving it, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the minister of economy, reaffirmed the UAE’s dedication to transforming its agricultural and food sector in order to increase its impact on GDP by ten billion dollars and create 20,000 employment opportunities over the next five years.
The main strategies include localizing innovation, encouraging a UAE-first food and cultural supply chain, and giving farmers the assistance and tools they need to become world leaders in agri-food technology and sustainability.
On Thursday, Bin Touq announced the conclusion of the fifth Future Food Forum and lauded the nation’s F&B sector endeavors in developing skills and digital infrastructure capabilities attained via various programs to transform how foods is grown, transported, and consumed in the surrounding area and globally.
The two-day conference at the Le Meridian in Dubai Hotel explored the future of the business as well as the expanding impact of the food industry on the economy and well-being of the UAE. It is encouraging and vital to our future that the UAE’s present economic and industrial progress continues. Today, the UAE is regarded as one of the most significant hubs for international food logistics. Everyone is aware that it is the port with the greatest accessibility for container ships between the point of origin and the destination, facilitating the supply and consumption of food. A significant component of trade in general is food. The trade in food items reached AED 130 billions in 2022 as opposed to AED 105 billion in the year 2021, growing by 24 percent in just one year. Food trading accounted for 5.7 percent of the UAE’s non-oil GDP.
The first pillar, according to him, entails localizing the next wave of agri-disruptors and developing them into world leaders by fostering local talent and innovation and by identifying and promoting the solutions of the future. The second step is to establish the UAE as a global regulatory powerhouse, which will guarantee that our products meet better standards and are well-known around the world. The third entails fostering a UAE-first culture by putting domestic production first and lowering dependency on imports in order to support the entire agricultural value chain. The fourth pillar, which tries to give industry participants enough finance, is nevertheless essential in the meanwhile.
In response, Bin Touq remarked, “Our plan will look into acquiring funds and support. Accessibility to funding is the reason people flourish and industries evolve.This takes us to our number five pillar, which is to nurture innovation with top-notch R&D innovation because it is the basis of advancement. To spur transformation, we will offer top-notch research and development programs.
The sixth pillar will also concentrate on opening doors for all stakeholders in agriculture to broaden their perspectives and access new markets. The strategy also aims to develop the coming generations of growers, who will shape both agriculture and agritech in the future. In order to ensure that the agricultural workforce is ready to handle the difficulties and possibilities that lie ahead, Bin Touq stated commitment to supplying farmers with the expertise, equipment, and assistance they require for success through training programs, modernization efforts, and support systems.
