FNC calls for transparent food security policy

The Federal National Council on Tuesday called for a transparent, comprehensive and a robust national food security policy to meet future challenges.

The issue was raised by member Ahmed Ubaid Al Mansouri addressed to Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water during question hour.

Chaired by Speaker Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr and attended by Dr Rashid, Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi and Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Ministers of State, the council debates also included government policies on genetic food and agriculture resources and marriage fund issues.

“Every country has a long-term food security programme or policy, but we have no idea about our latest policy. I ask the honourable minister what is the ministry’s strategy for achieving food security?” Al Mansouri asked the minister.

In response, Dr Rashid said the government already has a strategic policy that covers all the food security aspects like stocking and development of three key sources — agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

“We are putting all our efforts to ensure we have a long-term and robust food security policy for the nation. We take all the aspects that include population growth and supply and demand. The Government also draw on its policy to make sure there is accessibility to food to everyone and at the same time the market is stable and open,” the minister told the house.

However, the member said that efforts or struggles were not enough and that the government had to make results public.

Al Mansouri responded: “We are all making efforts and struggling, but what are the achievements we want to know? What are the results of these efforts and struggles?”

The council was also critical to the government’s food security policy of 2008, saying that was irrelevant as it was 2013 with a huge growth in the country’s population that, they said, could further grow.

The minister said there was the 2011-2013 strategy for food security that mainly covers agriculture, livestock and fisheries and that “we have already made tremendous achievements in these three sectors under this strategy.”

The council also discussed the government’s policy on genetic food and agriculture resources and reviewed a law related to it. The council approved the law with minor amendments. The law will be sent back to the Cabinet with its final approval and sent for Presidential assent.

The house also reviewed and discussed a 16-point strategy developed by the ministry for the protection of soil and vegetation.

Other issues that came under debate included the function of the multi-million Marriage Fund set up to support Emiratis to marry Emiratis to help control the demographic imbalance.

The question was raised by member Ali Issa Al Nuaimi, who asked Minister of State Dr Maitha Al Shamsi, about the fund’s functioning and its achievements.

“The Marriage Fund has been created to support and encourage Emiratis to marry Emiratis with the strategic objective of addressing the issue of imbalance in the demographic situation of the country and ensure stable Emirati families. What are the initiatives undertaken by the fund to achieve these goals?” he asked the minister, who is also the fund Chairperson.

nissar@khaleejtimes.

• UAE