Formation of "Emirates Council for Food Security" a key step to achieving food security: Mariam Almheiri

Formation of

DUBAI, 12th January, 2020 (WAM) -- Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, stated that the decision of the UAE Cabinet to form the "Emirates Council for Food Security," ECFS, is a key step to strengthening the efforts of national authorities to achieve food security, as well as meeting the goals of the National Food Security Strategy.

Almheiri chairs the council, whose membership includes representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Energy and Industry, the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, the Ministry of Education, and the National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management.

"The council embodies the vision of the country’s leadership to encourage cooperation between all national authorities and institutions in achieving food security and creating a platform for managing the implementation of its work, under the framework of a joint vision that identifies relevant challenges and adopts practical solutions," Almheiri said.

Almheiri added that achieving food security and providing healthy food at reasonable prices to everyone, especially at times of emergencies and crises, is a shared responsibility between federal and local government agencies, the private sector and all members of society, which requires the adoption of a national system supervised by the council.

"The council’s implementation of a national food security governance system will achieve many tangible social and economic benefits up to 2021. These benefits include creating over 16,000 job opportunities around the country, increasing agricultural production by over 100,000 tonnes, achieving economic returns of some AED22 billion, and aligning the government’s efforts with the Water Security Strategy," she noted.

Almheiri praised the efforts of national authorities and institutions and the private sector to bring about tangible change, in cooperation with the UAE Office for Future Food Security, while expressing its goal to strengthen its existing cooperation through the council during the coming period, to achieve the best results.

The council considers common trends in terms of managing the country’s food security system and is the central authority concerned with monitoring the implementation of the Food Security Strategy, along with relevant authorities.

It also submits periodic reports to the UAE Cabinet on the progress of initiatives and projects, and is monitoring the Global Food Security Index and related programmes.

WAM/Nour Salman