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 several youth-owned model farms in Al Bahia area of Abu Dhabi.
He was accompanied during his tour by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Board Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Airports Company; Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, and Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said he was delighted to see such ambitious projects by the country’s youth, using the latest technologies to provide high-quality agricultural products and contributing to the drive to achieve sustainable food security in the UAE.
He was briefed by Hamed Al Hamed, owner of “Gracia Farm” and Dr. Khalid Al Shamsi and Ahmed Khalfan Al Shamsi, who own organic farms, on the products grown there, irrigation methods, marketing as well as the challenges facing the local farming sector.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed stressed the importance of employing advanced technology in the country’s agricultural sector, taking into consideration the highest standards for sustainability, quality and competitiveness. He also called for developing innovative solutions to produce and manage food crops and to overcome challenges facing the sector.
“Supporting the agriculture sector is consistent with the UAE’s strategy for sustainability, environmental protection and preserving natural resources,” he added.
Agriculture, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed continued, is a very vital sector and comes at the heart of the national security. It is the key pillar in the country’s strategy to ensure food security and build a sustainable economy. These farms contribute to maintaining self-sufficiency and minimising dependence on external products.
“The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan attached great importance to agriculture. He supported it and did not listen to those who thought agriculture had no future in the UAE. He was a visionary and always believed that agriculture is the backbone of any society. President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has continued that approach and is providing full support and incentives to the farmers to develop their agricultural projects.”
He wished the young farmers success in their projects and expressed the leadership’s keenness to support the farmers and to encourage national products.
He urged the farmers across the UAE to invest in these farms and to use innovative ways to turn them into a source of support to the country’s agriculture sector.
The farm owners expressed their pleasure over Sheikh Mohamed’s visit and praised the leadership’s unlimited support to the youth working in the agriculture sector.
