The Emirates Food Security Council recently held its second meeting for this year under the guidance of Mariam Almheiri, Minister of State for Food and Water Security. The meeting was held virtually to discuss the council's commitment to ensure equitable access to adequate quantities of nutritious food at affordable prices to all citizens and residents in the country. The meeting also laid necessary emphasis on global food security, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, the Food and Water Security Office presented the food trade data for 2020 to the council which showed comprehensive growth across all food trade indicators. Last year, the UAE witnessed a 22.8 percent rise in food imports, 49.7 percent in exports, and 12.7 percent growth in re-exports compared to 2019. With these positive indicators, 2020 emerged as the highest performing year for the UAE in the past five years.

Key agendas of the meeting included the review of the recommendations made by the council in the previous meetings as well as accomplishments achieved during the intervening period. Besides the presentation of the UAE’s food trade data for 2020, the council also took an assessment of the Food Price Index of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Ministry of Education, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, the Dubai Municipality, the Sharjah Health Authority, the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, the Umm Al Qaiwain Municipality, the Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Authority, and the Fujairah Municipality.

Addressing the meeting, Almheiri underlined that the UAE's commitment to ensuring food security has grown exponentially in recent months. The UAE has accelerated its efforts to promote food security in view of the challenges faced by countries across the world. These challenges require practical solutions to tackle the issues impacting the global food value chain. She added that the council is working towards transpiring the vision and directives of the UAE's leadership into important initiatives, procedures and projects to boost global food security.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE proved its ability to address and overcome various challenges and successfully established frameworks to create a resilient food system infrastructure that will be able to handle dynamic circumstances with efficiency and effectiveness, Almheiri added

"The council’s business model is an example of joint cooperation, through which we strive to enhance national food security and contribute to the UAE’s sustainable development processes, as part of the preparations for the next 50 years," she said.

She further expressed keenness towards enhancing local food production in the UAE with the aim to improve self-sufficiency in essential and strategic commodities in the country. At the same time, the council is working towards upgrading the sector's infrastructure to expand the food supply chain and enhance food trade.

"We believe that the support of our leadership and our innovative initiatives, such as the Food Tech Valley, will help transform the UAE into a leading international hub for innovation-driven food security," she added.

After the council reviewed the Food and Agriculture Organisation's Food Price Index, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority took a review of the Agri-Food Data Dashboard. It contains all data related to food, including food prices, local production, population and consumption, and trade.

In the end, the meeting assessed the initiatives and projects conducted by the National Committee to enhance global food trade and diversify food import sources under the leadership of the Ministry of Economy. During the session, the participants discussed the economic feasibility of providing carbon dioxide to modern farms in order to increase their agricultural productivity.

WAM