His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, carried out an inspection visit to Al Dhaid, located in the central region, to understand the processes for providing tangible and technical support to farmers, particularly those who have ventured into modern agricultural practices, such hydroponics, organic farming, and greenhouses.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) supplies local farmers in the eastern, northern and central regions with agricultural supplies every year at half the market price. To determine the nature of the supplies, MOCCAE conducts an annual survey among farmers to understand their essential requirements for the next cycle. Following the survey, a committee sets the specifications of these supplies to match the Ministry’s standards.
During the visit, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said: “The move is in line with the UAE’s strategy to promote local agriculture as a key solution to food security. We are committed to supporting the agricultural sector at large and to encouraging more farmers to adopt modern, environmentally-friendly agricultural trends.”
This year, MOCCAE offers 50 kinds of supplies, including a wide range of fertilizers, such as manure, hydroponic and organic fertilizers. In addition, integrated pest management (IPM) supplies, such as the colored sticky traps and the low-impact insecticides and fungicides that are environmentally safe and suitable for aquatic agriculture and protected and organic farming are also provided. Furthermore, the Ministry supplies seeds of the most common crops suitable for greenhouses and organic farming, namely tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Materials for the construction of greenhouses, including polycarbonate sheets, thermal insulation and insect screens, hydroponic grow pads and cooling pads, and equipment such as irrigation pipes and pumps are also available for purchase.
MOCCAE contracted 11 of the best agricultural suppliers in the country to procure these materials. The suppliers deliver all materials purchased by the farmers from the Ministry to the farm or to the nearest location of MOCCAE’s Customer Happiness Centers as per a previously-announced schedule.
Farmers can learn more about the agricultural supplies on offer, as well as the materials, pricing, methods of use and location of distribution centres on the Ministry’s website www.moccae.gov.ae. And, they can request the supply of agricultural supplies and materials via the MOCCAE website or app or by visiting a Customer Happiness Center.