Mohamed Bin Zayed visits local farms developed by Emiratis
Mohamed: Agriculture is a fundamental pillar of our National Food Security Strategy
Abu Dhabi: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Saturday visited a number of local farms developed by Emirati agricultural entrepreneurs at Al Bahia area.
On his twitter page Sheikh Mohamed said: “I was pleased to meet some of the UAE’s aspiring agricultural entrepreneurs who are pioneering sustainable and resilient farming practices using modern technology. Innovation in this sector is key to our food security goals, and our country’s diversified economic growth”.
During his tour, Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, as well as other Sheikhs, ministers and senior officials.
Sheikh Mohamed expressed his satisfaction at seeing the ambitious projects developed by Emiratis who are keen to apply the latest agricultural systems and technologies to provide the finest products that contribute to achieving sustainable food security in the country.
Sheikh Mohamed was briefed by Hamid Al Hamid, owner of the “Garcia” farm, Dr Khaled Al Shamsi and Ahmed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, who own organic farms, about the types of crops produced by their farms, in addition to irrigation methods being followed, and innovative techniques used in these farms as well as the challenges facing domestic agriculture.
The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince stressed the importance of using the latest technologies in the agricultural sector according to the criteria of sustainability, quality and competitiveness. He called for developing innovative solutions capable of overcoming challenges facing the agricultural sector, especially food production and management.
“Agriculture is an important and vital sector and is at the heart of our national security and a fundamental pillar of our National Food Security Strategy. It is a significant part of our journey towards building a sustainable economy. These farms and many others will contribute to enhancing our self-sufficiency in the agricultural field and reducing our dependence abroad. This is a vital and fundamental must that we will work on in the coming period,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
He called on the owners of farms in all parts of the country to boost investment in farms and spare no efforts to develop them to increase their production and turn them into a source of support to the UAE agricultural production.