Massive investment in the farming sector has boosted the UAE's animal wealth to more than two million cattle head and chickens despite a rapid growth in consumption and lower farm imports, according to an official report.

The UAE has also more than doubled its palm trees to nearly 40 million to become one of the richest nations in the world in terms of date wealth.

The annual 2002 report by the Ministry of Information and Culture said nearly 2.09 million sheep, cow, camels and chickens produced last year more than 24,000 tonnes of red meat, 36,000 tonnes of chicken meat, 136,000 tonnes of milk and nearly 266 million eggs.

"The large expansion in the farming sector is a result of huge investments and the strong keenness of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in agriculture with the aim of achieving food self sufficiency and conquering the desert," the 380-page book said.

It said the UAE now has 100 per cent self-sufficiency in date and fish, more than 83 per cent sufficiency in vegetables, 25 per cent in red meat, 21 per cent in chicken, 80 per cent in milk and nearly 32 per cent in eggs.

As a result of an afforestation drive and upgraded cultivation techniques, the number of palm trees increased to around 40.7 million at the end of 2000, producing 73 types of high quality date, the report said.

The total cultivated area exceeded 273,000 hectares at the end of 2000 while there were over 35,000 farms with a production of nearly five million tonnes per year, one of the biggest in the region. The value of crop in 2000 totalled around Dh7.4 billion, the highest ever.

The fish sector also witnessed similar growth mainly because of measures enforced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and other competent departments to protect the marine wealth.

The production of fish peaked at around 105,000 tonnes in 2000, part of which was exported, the report said.