"Agriculture and livestock" In Sharjah: The country’s food security system has achieved high-level successes

Sharjah, April 3, 2017 – His Excellency Dr. Khalifa Musabah Al Taniji, Chairman of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock in Sharjah, CEO of the Sharjah Agricultural and Livestock Production Foundation “IKTVA”, confirmed that the Department and the Foundation are two parts of a broader and larger system operating in the UAE and are under the Emirates Council for Food Security, and they work in an integrated and joint capacity and at the level of effective coordination with all members of the Council.

He stressed the close cooperation between the department and the ministries of industry and advanced technology, economy and tourism, environment and climate change, and the Emirates Council for Food Security, in managing the strategic food stock in the country, through coordination meetings held at a high level to achieve the highest levels of food security in all circumstances and situations.

His Excellency said, in an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), that the UAE always has proactive plans to achieve food security, and it has achieved great success during the pandemic period, the events between Russia and Ukraine, and the droughts that struck a number of countries that were part of the food supply chain for us, adding that we now have a work team with extensive experience in the importance of preparation and prior measures, stressing that the country does not have any real problems in the supply chains, as the current stock is equivalent to 6 proactive months, whether in Raw materials or feed in anticipation of any emergency.

He added that the “Iktva” Foundation is currently operating at maximum capacity and all its resources are devoted to the local market. For example, its production of milk has reached 130,000 liters per day, and the trend is rising to 300,000 liters per day by the year 2029, which is expected to serve more than a million people in the country, in addition to poultry products, the production of which today reaches 7,000 birds per day, reaching 16,000 birds per day.

He referred to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to raise production, as additional land areas have been reserved for these future expansions so that the establishment’s production will reach 25 and 26 thousand birds per day, pointing out that with regard to vegetables and fruits, the department, through “Gharass” farms, supplies the market daily with all seasonal products.

He added that, in implementation of the directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, the department, in support of food production chains in the country, plans to launch 140 food products in the local markets during the current year and next year, including almost all dairy products, cheeses, butter and animal fats. It is a project that receives great attention from His Highness regarding the importance of moving from the use of hydrogenated vegetable oils to authentic animal oils in food production, in addition to the production of multiple types of baked goods.

He explained that with regard to the prices of organic food products, “Iktifa” products are the lowest of their kind in the markets compared to others, based on the directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah to make the organic product accessible to the public.

He pointed out that a new product will be launched on the market, especially for athletes, which is protein milk, as the percentage of natural protein in milk is 43% compared to 34% currently on the market. He stressed that the protein in milk does not include any other additives, and the Greek yogurt product will also be launched within the high production plans.

He pointed out that work is currently underway to establish factories for cheese, butter, ghee, ketchup, tomato paste, and fruit jam, pointing out that all inputs to production processes are grown within the “Iktifa” system, which achieves the idea of ​​a circular economy to ensure their quality and high nutritional value.

He stated that the slaughterhouse and poultry factory are currently in the final finishing stage, to be completed by the end of next May, and will be ready with a production capacity greater than the current capacity, and the feed factory is also in the final completion stage.

Al-Tunaiji pointed to the joint “Hasad” project between the department and farmers in the emirate, which focuses on directed agriculture or contract farming, and was approved by the Executive Council in the emirate. Its idea is that the Department of Agriculture and Livestock will be a joint and organized body between the retail sector, stores and restaurants and farmers, to organize the distribution of food product cultivation in a more organized and diversified way to avoid flooding the market with one or two types of vegetables, which results in a decline in the price value of those products, and the farmer will have an annual contract with more than one party according to Its production capabilities.

He pointed out that the center’s work mechanism begins with receiving food products for examination, then placing them in a place of isolation until ensuring that they meet all health requirements and conditions and environmental standards in the country. Then it moves to the second stage, which is packaging, and there will be regular packaging according to the request of the contracting party for this product, and then it is transported through the supply chains and suppliers or distributors to the sales headquarters.

He stated that the center will be completed during the next year, and its land has been allocated by the Sharjah government and its construction cost approved by the Executive Council.

He pointed out that “GRAS” is a different food system through which His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah wanted to restore to humanity the concept of food and the production of vegetables and fruits. The seeds that were imported for this project are old, authentic, non-genetically modified seeds owned by a European farmer who, for more than a year, obtained the first European farm from the European Union. She keeps these seeds from before World War II, and these seeds were grown within “GRAS” facilities as organic cultivation, pointing out that the shapes of vegetables are different and are not They are consistent like modern vegetables, and the department supplies the sales outlets of the Sharjah Cooperative Society with these products.

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