Abu Dhabi: Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development approved 130 farms with Dh130 million to enhance food security in the UAE as part of Zaarie programme, the organisation said on Sunday.
Ahmad Khalfan Al Romaithi, head of Zaarie Programme revealed that 10 farms funded by Khalifa Fund using hydroponics system will start exporting vegetables to the local market in the coming three months.
He expected the initiative will contribute in increasing the share of local agriculture produce to about 10 per cent.
“A group of experts from Khalifa Fund and Farmers’ Services Centre made visits to more than 500 farms in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain & Al Gharbia to ensure their compatibility with the funding conditions,” Al Romaithi said.
He said in collaboration with the Farmers Centre, the Fund organised a number of training sessions in the field of farms management, modern production techniques as well as marketing methods, in which 250 farmers benefited.
The Zaarie programme aims at helping Emirati farmers to develop their farms by using new technology and use farming techniques such as hydroponics to reduce water consumption.
The Khalifa Fund was established in 2007 to support and develop small and medium enterprises with a capital of Dh2 billion. It sanctioned more than Dh1 billion in loans for the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) since its inception.
