Food security is national priority for UAE: Minister

Dubai - Mheiri said UAE needs to plan to be able to be food secure not only today but also in future.

Food security is a national priority for the UAE because of the limited food production and wastage of food, UAE's minister of state for food security, Mariam Al Mheiri said here in Dubai on Monday on the second day of the Global Women's Forum.
"We know our behavior where we are wasting a lot of food is influencing the food system globally. So, our leadership has seen that food security needs to be a national priority because of the challenges that are lying ahead and because we are a country that does not produce a lot of food."
Mheiri said UAE needs to plan to be able to be food secure not only today but also in future.
The minister said "being in a country where water is scarce, the country understood that to be able to be food secure, we have to be a hub of food trade." So the country built the infrastructure - the airlines, the ports.. and that enabled food to be traded and brought into the country for sale as well as for export. "This flow of food gave us the accessibility of food. We also understand that in the future, as we know population is on the rise, which means food demands are also on the rise."
Mheiri said growing up with her German grandmother helped her understand the value of food from a young age.
"My grandmother went through World War 11. She was always telling us not wasting food. And what experiences she went through as a mother of many children at the time when there was no food. So, these stories, they formed my mindset and understanding of how important food security is. "
Her personal experiences and passion for diving, the minister said also shaped her understanding of the portfolio she is handling. "I have seen our marine environment and developed my interests in aqua culture and how important fisheries are for the UAE and how we have to ensure that with the climate change affects, we have to look for other means of sourcing out fish."