With reference to Sophie Prideaux's report All Abu Dhabi supermarkets will now have a dedicated space for locally produced food (May 19): this is great development to support local farmers and should be implemented in all Emirates. Consumers will get not only fresh products but also prices would be lower as transportation costs would be minimal.
Franziska von Kaenel-Sahi, Abu Dhabi
We do though need to consider what local farming costs in terms of energy and water resources compared to what it contributes to the country's gross domestic product.
Mikael Schonberg, Dubai
Manufacturing masks in the country is a good idea
Regarding Sarmad Khan's piece Coronavirus: Mubadala ties up with Honeywell and leverages Strata to make N95 masks (May 19): fantastic. If anything this current climate has taught us, it is that we should manufacture local more and be less reliant on imports. This is great news.
Elika McCormick, Dubai
Local cadres should help India's struggling migrants
In reference to Taniya Dutta's article India's domestic migrants risk death on treacherous walks to home villages during lockdown (May 19): for the last seven weeks, millions of migrant labourers, including pregnant women and mothers carrying small children on their back, have been trudging to their villages. The crisis should have impelled all political parties to galvanise their cadres in every village and district to look after the migrants in every state. Even regional parties have cadres in every village, even those with a population of fewer than 2,000 people. I can confidently write this, having worked for decades in the villages of India, while employed with Unilever, a multinational selling soaps and cooking fats.
These cadres could have provided food, water, shelter and transport for the migrant labourers to reach their homes. It is at such times that political parties should have sunk their ideological differences and risen to the occasion to provide succour to the stranded workers.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
May the timely evacuations for cyclone Amphan be adequate
With regard to the report Rains lash Bangladesh and India as 2 million shelter from cyclone Amphan (May 20): glad they started evacuating before the cyclone hit and not during or after.
Mohammed Al-edroos, Dubai
Can the 60+ crowd be allotted two hours to buy their groceries?
I would like to applaud the UAE government on their handling of the current crisis. However, I am writing with reference to malls reopening but people over 60 not being permitted entry.
I understand the wish to protect senior citizens but can the over 60-year-olds be allowed into malls during the first two hours of malls opening for the day? Online food shopping is hit and miss and not everybody has a maid to shop for them.
Alan Trevest, Dubai
