Why the UAE’s food supply is secure



A recent bulletin issued by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, and published in the Abu Dhabi-based daily Al Ittihad, reported statistics showing that a staggering 80 to 90 per cent of the UAE’s food needs are imported. This shows how vulnerable local markets are to food crises.

Food crises are normal occurrences around the world because they are generally linked to natural phenomena or disasters and to climatic fluctuations that effect producing countries. Another consideration in this regard is the different food export policies of various source countries.

For these reasons, the UAE makes serious efforts to rectify its unbalanced situation in terms of food resources, the bulletin said. The country is active in organising and hosting events and conferences on food safety and food production. These bring together local, regional and international stakeholders.

In line with the nation’s food safety strategy, last week Abu Dhabi hosted the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture. It was attended by officials from a number of producing countries along with delegations from “agriculturally promising” countries in Asia and Africa.

Along the same lines, a conference on Water and Food Security in the Gulf was held in 2012, and it acted like a forum for relevant experts, researchers, intellectuals and academics to share ideas and come up with recommendations pertaining to global water and food issues.

The UAE recognises that the need for accelerated development in the agricultural sector is of the utmost necessity to ensure this vital sector is resilient and capable of addressing any challenges related to food security in this country and in the rest of the world. In Africa, the fight against poverty and food scarcity is given precedence over all other issues.

The bulletin added that the UAE recognises the effectiveness of modern technologies and innovative solutions in developing various vital sectors, including agriculture, and it focuses on motivating and supporting scientific research and innovation in the areas of agriculture and global food security.

All the efforts the UAE has applied towards ensuring its food security have paid off, the report said. The nation has been able to build a secure, strategic stock of food items that enables it to ensure stable supplies to local markets, thus saving them from the possible effects of any global crisis.

The UAE government has signed many partnership and collaboration agreements with agricultural countries to implement agricultural projects on their territories. This achieves food security for the UAE and for its partner countries as well, the bulletin said.

US finally finds out who backs Al Qaeda

The US Treasury dropped a bombshell when it announced a series of sanctions against Iran, accusing it of backing operations carried out by Al Qaeda in Syria, including that of its military branch in Syria Al Nusra Front and its representative Yassine Al Souri.

Abdel Rahman Al Rashed, a columnist in the pan-Arab daily Asharq El Awsat, highlighted that “should most Sunni Muslims realise that Al Qaeda is actually linked to Iran, it would soon collapse and lose its ideological legitimacy and funding”.

The writer said it was strange to think that the Sunni Al Qaeda may be linked to the Shiite Iranian regime.

Al Qaeda’s first years drew suspicions aimed at Saudi Arabia. Those were contradicted by Al Qaeda’s activities in Iraq: its targets strangely seemed to coincide with Iran’s, focusing on Saudi Arabia, the US and Europe. Information about Iran welcoming several members of Al Qaeda led to the conclusion that the Iranian and Syrian regimes supported its operations.

“It does seem quite far-fetched to believe that a group of Sunni extremists works alongside an extremist Shiite regime. But in this part of the world, one must keep an open mind and consider all possibilities”, argued Al Rashed.

The US Treasury’s decision condemns Al Qaeda, Iran and Syria’s Bashar Al Assad. “They are the first step towards correcting the path of the war against terror,” concluded Al Rashed.

Surprise candidacy by Egyptian leftist Sabahi

Left-wing Egyptian politician Hamdeen Sabahi, who came third in the 2012 democratic vote, announced on Saturday that he would run for president in the upcoming elections, noted Abdel Bari Atwan on the news website Rai Al Youm.

Mr Hamdeen said that his battle is the battle of the Egyptian revolution, without explaining which one he meant, the 2011 revolution or the army-backed 2012 “revolution”, the writer observed.

There are two explanations for Mr Sabahi’s surprise candidacy. It might have been planned in coordination with the army and its chief, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah El Sisi, who is widely expected to run for and win the presidency. By so doing, they may be seeking to accord legitimacy and plurality to the race by encouraging other candidates whom Field Marshal Al Sisi would defeat.

A personal genuine decision by Mr Sabahi is the second explanation. If that is the case, his move will be seen as clear defiance of the military’s candidate, which will pit him against the army, even after the almost-guaranteed win of the media-backed Field Marshal El Sisi.

Meanwhile, Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, a moderate Islamist who came fourth in the 2012 vote, has said he does not intend to run, saying that the current circumstances are undemocratic.

* Digest compiled by The Translation Desk

translation@thenational.ae

The specs: 2019 Haval H6

Price, base: Dh69,900

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The biog

Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.

His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.

“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.

"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”

Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.

He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking. 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Vikram%20Vedha
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Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Health Valley

Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further

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