UAE: Dh8,400 financial support announced for low-income farm owners

UAE authorities on Saturday announced the details of the financial support that will be provided to Emirati farm owners with limited income.

This comes as the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a directive instructing the Ministry of Community Development (MoCD) and Etihad Water and Electricity to help ease the farm owners' financial burdens, especially those related to utility bills.

Immediately taking action, the two entities announced the implementation of a new support scheme which will be rolled out in July.

An annual electricity subsidy of Dh8,400 will be allocated to every beneficiary, they said. This amount is equivalent to a maximum consumption of 2,500 kw/h per month.

Beneficiaries can check the monthly support amount by referring to their farms’ consumption bill through Etihad Water and Electricity’s service channels.

The ministry will be working with the utility authority to determine and validate the approved lists of beneficiaries on a monthly basis.

Text messages will be sent to beneficiaries, which will provide the necessary details in addition to an application form to be filled out.

Eligibility, registration

Beneficiaries can also register on the MoCD's website. The support covers eligible low-income farm owners who are registered in a federal or local social welfare programme.

Farms used for commercial purposes will not be eligible for the support, and the farm owner should not be receiving additional support for electricity consumption on any of their owned farms.

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