Agriculture
From The Report: Abu Dhabi 2014
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Efforts to enhance food security and reduce the impact of imported inflation have made the sector a greater priority. Further to this, the government is committed to developing the sector on the grounds that agriculture has played an important role in the emirate’s history, and is considered to be a pillar of its heritage and culture. As in much of the rest of the Gulf, fresh water is in short supply in the emirate, and agricultural planning is therefore shifting in favour of more water-efficient crops, such as replacing grain production with potatoes.
This chapter contains an interview with Rashed Mohamed Al Shariqi, Director-General, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA).

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Focus on sustainability: State-backed efforts are under way to boost the value of agricultural output and enhance food safety and security
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Agricultural production in Abu Dhabi has increased considerably in recent years, driven primarily by a series of state-led initiatives and development programmes put in place beginning in the mid-2000s. According to preliminary figures from the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD), in 2012 the emirate’s agriculture, forestry and fishing segments combined contributed Dh5.32bn ($1.45bn) to GDP, up from Dh5.14bn ($1.4bn) in 2011 and Dh4.56bn ($1.24bn) in 2010. Despite the industry’s small size –…

Analysis

Consider the date: Increasing yields expected for one of the emirate’s traditional crops
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In recent years dates have taken on new significance in the local economy. Since 2005 the emirate has made a concerted effort to boost annual production of dates and improve the quality of the date crop, with the long-term goal of turning the industry into a driver of growth within the agricultural sector. The government-led initiative has transformed the local date market. “In 2012 we processed around 93,000 tonnes of dates from farmers, up from just 30,000 in 2005,” said Fares Sumairi, marketing…

Interview

OBG talks to Rashed Mohamed Al Shariqi, Director-General, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA)
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Interview:Rashed Mohamed Al Shariqi In what way has the government supported the agriculture and food processing industries? RAHED MOHAMED AL SHARIQI: The government has demonstrated considerable support for these industries by establishing a strong regulatory framework and promoting an investment-friendly business environment. First and foremost, the UAE boasts some of the world’s finest transport and shipping infrastructure thanks to recently completed projects such as Khalifa Port and…

Analysis

Upgrading farming: Introducing new techniques and technologies
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In the past half-decade Abu Dhabi’s government has had considerable success in upgrading the emirate’s farming segment. Until the mid-2000s most farms in were operated on a part-time, semi-commercial basis, and a majority of local farmers were either unaware of or lacked access to agricultural innovations, technologies and techniques that were common elsewhere. In 2005 the government created the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), which was charged with implementing and enforcing new food…