A UAE delegation, headed by His Excellency Eng Saif Al Shara, Assistant Undersecretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), attended the second meeting of the Korea-UAE Agricultural Cooperation Committee in the South Korean capital Seoul.
The UAE delegates met with their Korean counterparts, led by Jeong Il-Jeong, Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).
The main items on the agenda were the progress to date and the future vision for the bilateral smart farm cooperation that was established through a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Lee Gae-ho, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea, signed the agreement in Seoul in February 2019. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, attended the signing ceremony.
Moreover, the UAE and Korean officials provided an overview of their respective agricultural sectors and policies to improve mutual understanding of the status quo. They also agreed to boost bilateral trade in agricultural food products through facilitating relevant import and export procedures.
Speaking on the visit, His Excellency Eng Al Shara said: “The UAE and Korea enjoy robust strategic ties, buoyed by a shared commitment to building synergies across sectors. Our visit aligned with MOCCAE’s strategy to enhance cooperation with its international partners in the field of agriculture and capitalize on successful experiences from around the world.”
Highlighting the success of the second meeting of the Korea-UAE Agricultural Cooperation Committee, he added: “We agreed to implement nine joint projects in 2019 and 2020 across various areas of mutual interest, including rice farming, smart closed-loop agricultural systems, protected agriculture, combating the red palm weevil, and livestock development programs.”
Other delegates included Dr Ayesha Al Dhaheri, Vice Dean of the College of Food and Agriculture at United Arab Emirates University, Eng Mohammed Al Dhanhani, Director of Agricultural Development and Health at MOCCAE, and Eng Saeed Al Yamahi, Deputy Director of the Research and Development Department at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority.
As part of the visit, the delegation toured the Seoul Upcycling Plaza – the world’s largest upcycling cultural complex space, the National Institute of Animal Science, the National Institute of Crop Science, the 2019 Agricultural Technologies Expo, a food waste processing facility, and several farms that apply smart farming techniques.