Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety (ADAFSA) has issued a decision regulating plant production farms for small farmers in the emirate.
The decision aims to sustain natural resources, improve the income of small farmers and support local products.
To achieve these goals, ADAFSA issued a decision to regulate plant production farms for small farmers, in continuation of the decision of the chairman of the authority’s Board of Directors No. 3 of 2020 regarding the requirements system.
The decision aims to regulate the practice of production on vegetable farms for small farmers, achieve sustainable agricultural development, improve the income of farm owners, and support local produce to enhance the food security system in the emirate.
The decision is an important step towards regulating the practice of plant production in small-scale farms and achieving sustainable agricultural development.
The decision sets clear rules for plant production on farms, which contributes to improving the quality of local agricultural products and increasing the competitiveness of local agricultural products in the market. This will help increase the return on investment in agriculture.
The decision provides smallholders with a clear regulatory environment for plant production and improves marketing opportunities for local products. It also provides technical and training support to farmers and encourages the consumption of local products, contributing to the development of the agricultural sector.
The decision lays down conditions and controls for the practice of plant production on small farms. These include maintaining general hygiene on the farm and its facilities and obtaining official approvals before setting up packing houses. The decision also requires the use of materials approved for food use in the processing of plant products. It also regulates the use of the farm’s trade name, the documentation of agricultural operations carried out on the plant product and the provision of records showing the quantities of production that have been disposed of. It also requires the establishment of a traceability system to ensure the identification of the plant product.
Eng Ahmed Khalid Othman, Executive Director of the Agricultural Affairs Sector at ADAFSA, said: “This decision reaffirms the Abu Dhabi Government’s commitment to supporting smallholder farmers and providing a working environment that supports their efforts to achieve sustainable development in the agricultural sector in Abu Dhabi and enhance food security”.
Eng Othman reiterated ADAFSA’s commitment to providing all forms of support to small-scale farmers to enable them to develop their farms and increase productivity. Eng Othman explained that ADAFSA is working to provide advanced extension and training services to farmers to help them adopt best agricultural practices and improve the quality of agricultural products. ADAFSA also supports scientific research and development in the agricultural sector to develop modern agricultural technologies that contribute to increasing production and improving the efficiency of resource use.
