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UAE 30pc self-sufficient in farm produce
ABU DHABI - The UAE's agricultural development experience has earned the country international acclaim and placed it among a few countries that have managed to turn the desert into an oasis.
International experts in agriculture and ecology, who recently visited the UAE to take part in an international conference on desertification here, lauded the country's successful agricultural development which they described as unique.
"The UAE, originally an arid country, has made tremendous efforts towards arresting threats and causes of land degradation in order to combat desertification. These efforts focused on increasing agricultural productivity to make better use of available resources and take an agricultural leap that is changing the face of the UAE's desert," said Nadir Haj Hammu, UN Resident Coordinator in the UAE.
The UAE is currently estimated to be 30 per cent self-sufficient in agricultural products. Certain surplus vegetables and fruits is now exported fresh, canned, dried, frozen or pickled.
"Great importance is laid on agricultural development in general, and sustainable date palm production in particular. Date palm plantations once rehabilitated or established in various desert areas of the UAE will not only contribute to the food security, but also will tremendously improve the micro-climate and contribute to desertification combat in the country," Mr Hammu said.
Other experts representing local, regional and international specialised institutions, NGOs and world organisations also praised the UAE's experience and its efforts to conserve the environment and develop natural resources on a sustainable basis.
They stressed that this experience is considered a model that should be followed in other parts of the world, to fight desertification which is mainly responsible for poverty and unemployment in different countries.
The UAE's experience in agricultural development is distinctive, because it is characterised by extreme conditions - dry climate, infertile soil and inadequate water.
The country overcame these conditions by establishing the basic foundation for agriculture for the future. The President, His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, supported the agricultural sector because he believed that this could provide stability and security for the country in the years to come.
The country's progress in this regard is reflected in the reclamation and distribution of agricultural land, support to resources needed for agricultural production, encouragement to plant palm trees along roads and the development of oasis, islands and farmlands.
Support has also been extended to expand green areas, in addition to development of livestock and fisheries wealth. The country continues to seek best means to develop the desert, through agricultural research centres and agricultural guidance, as well as establish modern projects which open new gates to a prosperous future by utilising natural resources appropriately.
The UAE has made tangible accomplishments in the field of agricultural production, and the volume of fruit and vegetable production has increased manifold.
This improvement was achieved by increasing cultivable land on the one hand and the enhancing production methods on the other. Also, the spread of timely use of fertilisers, the use of improved seeds, pest and disease control, improvement of the quality of services to producers especially in the field of agricultural guidance, as well as provision of adequate irrigation facilities and the development of support methods during both production and marketing stages contributed to these accomplishments.
The development of agriculture sector in the UAE also took into consideration the environmental factors, such as the dry climate, scarcity of rainfall and lack of organic substances in its soil.
The plans for agricultural development were put in place in accordance with the directives of the President. They were implemented at multiple stages starting with the establishment of infrastructure for this sector.
These plans included promotion of different projects, such as dairy and livestock production, fish breeding, production of animal feed and fertilisers, in addition to encouraging the increase of agricultural land and establishment of farms specialised in producing specific types of vegetables.
Also the plans endorsed developing various projects for water resources, such as building of dams and desalination plants. To reach the highest level of self-sufficiency with regard to various commodities, most advanced scientific and technical methods were used in the agricultural sector.
The number of farms in the UAE has increased in the 1977-2001 by 484 per cent; cultivated areas of land increased by 1,604 per cent; areas of vegetation increased by 1,153 per cent from 1997 to 1997 and productivity increased by 2,537 per cent.
In 2001, areas of vegetation and their productivity volumes were reduced due to the increase in field plantation's products.
However, the area increase was about 666 per cent and the productivity increase was 1,435 per cent as compared to 1977.
Fruit productivity areas (except palm trees) showed an increase of 4,010 per cent with production increase of 9,906 per cent (excluding date production). Animal feed and the field crops production areas achieved an increase of 6,281 per cent with productive capacity reaching 13,252 per cent.
The number of green houses for growing vegetables has increased by 117 per cent between 1997 and 2001 and was 58 per cent higher than that of 1991.
Local agricultural production contributed significantly to self-sufficiency scheme during 2001.
Vegetables production contributed to 89.5 per cent, fruit production 8.3 per cent (except dates) and date production 100 per cent.
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