UAE's Food Security Policy Prioritises Self-Sufficiency

Agriculture emerged as one of the most vulnerable sectors with the outbreak of the pandemic, serving as a catalyst for nations to produce more of what it consumes

“The outbreak of COVID-19 and the consequent supply chain disruptions in food imports has served as a wake-up call for countries largely reliant on food imports, and is driving a renewed interest in increasing self-sufficiency through deployment of modern farm tech solutions to boost locally grown produce,” said Mohamed Al Musharrkh, CEO of Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), while moderating a webinar recently titled ‘Future technologies for agriculture 4.0 and the role of governments’.

Organised by Invest in Sharjah, an affiliate of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the virtual discussion hosted pioneers and experts in the agricultural sector in the UAE including Dr. Ghanem Al Hajri — Partner and CEO of Themar Al Emarat, a Sharjah-based state-of-the-art facility with six-tonne capacity of fresh produce per day; Dr. Mohamed Ali Mechraoui — Associate Partner, DinarStandard, a research and advisory firm; and Hemant Julka — Co-Founder and COO of Veggitech, an agro-technology start up that is disrupting three key areas that pose challenges to traditional farming in the UAE — soil, temperature and water.