Push to put local food on more plates

Those who work with the country's farmers say local produce is not only fresher, but it heightens the UAE's food security

The Baker and Spice market on a terrace of a restaurant in Dubai last year. The market has a policy of selling strictly local produce during the harvesting seasons between November and April. Courtesy of Yael MejiaShow less

ABU DHABI // Food grown in the UAE is healthier than imported food, says the founder of Dubai's first farmers' market.
According to Yael Meija, the founder of the Baker and Spice market in Souk Al Bahar, "people are prisoners of what supermarkets have to offer them and a lot of money is spent on fresh produce that isn't actually fresh".
The market has a policy of selling strictly local produce during the harvesting seasons between November and April.
And authorities believe local is the way forward for food security.
"We are helping farmers become more commercially orientated," said Peter Ensor, the marketing chain manager at the Farmers Services Centre, the government body tasked with modernising Abu Dhabi's farms.
"Sustainability is not just environmental," he said, "it's also social and economic."
He spoke of Good Agricultural Practices, an internationally recognised system that measures and demonstrates farming practices - a step Abu Dhabi has taken to boost its local produce.
"It leads to food safety environmental management and the welfare of workers," Mr Ensor said. "As a result, it contributes to food security by improving the reputation of local produce and increasing its uptake by local retailers."
They were speaking at the Salon International de l'Agroalimentaire (International Food Industry Exhibition) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
"There's a perception in the UAE that local produce isn't as good as the food flown in first-class from Holland or China," Ms Meija said. "But produce needs sun and warmth.
"And there is an urgent need to create a dedicated hub for UAE farmers to sell their produce."
A survey for Al Aan TV in July found that while most UAE residents buy locally grown food, a significant number prefer imports.
Sixty-five per cent of the 1,516 respondents said they often bought local produce, either for its superior quality and safety, its lower price, or to support the country's farmers.
At the same time, 23 per cent of respondents said they believed imported food was of higher quality.
The UAE imports about 85 per cent of its food so self-sufficiency has proved to be tricky. And with the sandy soil and arid environment, local agriculture has struggled.
Increasing farming will not fix the problem, according to Shashi Kumar Menon, the chief operating officer at Al Ain Dairy Company.
"We've become too reliant on food imports to feed ourselves and they've become very expensive," he said. "If we're going to import food, we should at least grow our own local organic produce."
He added that, although the UAE would realistically never be 100 per cent self-sufficient in food production, it must reduce its carbon footprint and emissions as "it has the largest carbon footprint in the world".
Local farmers are doing their part. Baker and Spice is working with a farm on the Dubai-Al Ain Road with greenhouses. It now plans on acquiring an extra 60 this year to supply the market's produce.
"We hope to get 10 farmers this year," Ms Meija said.
Six would be from Abu Dhabi emirate, two from Ras Al Khaimah and two from Sharjah.
The market, which runs from 10am to 5pm every Friday through the growing season, will also include Indian organic produce next month.
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