Mubasher: The UAE seeks to occupy the number one ranking in the Global Food Security Index by 2051 and further improve food security.

This announcement was made during a webinar entitled "Agritech - Enhancing Food Security in the UAE" and organised by DP World UAE Region and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) in collaboration with the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), according to a press release on Wednesday.

During the webinar, the Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, said that the UAE aims to raise food production by 30-40% in ten years by deploying the power of modern technologies to boost agriculture.

DP World has contributed to the growth of the food and beverage (F&B) sector in the UAE and the region because of its foodstuff, livestock, and agricultural products sector in Jafza that is valued at AED 13.3 billion.

Spanning over an area of 1.55 million square metres, the free zone’s dedicated F&B cluster supports more than 4,700 port customers and hosts over 550 companies from more than 70 countries in Jafza.

The UAE Minister of State for Food and Water Security, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, remarked: "Agritech is transforming the UAE with a growing landscape of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA’s) in the form of indoor greenhouses and vertical farms that typically use 95% less water than traditional farms."

Meanwhile, the CEO of Al Ghurair Resources Oils and Proteins (AGROP) and Al Ghurair Foods (AGF) at Al Ghurair, Djamal Djouhri, commented: "Dubai is the gateway to 61% of the UAE's F&B trade by value. The efforts taken by both government and private sector entities to strengthen the food system and the entire food value chain in the country are tremendous."