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'Invest in future of food': UAE minister explains how economic cluster addresses challenges
He said that the UAE 'has long recognised' the importance of food security and sustainability and are 'actively transforming the food system' to be more resilient and self-sufficient
- PUBLISHED: Tue 18 Feb 2025, 3:32 PM
The UAE has adopted food as the first economic cluster to be developed so that the country can ensure self-sufficiency and drive innovation, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, revealed.
He said this during a keynote speech at the first Food500 summit held on the sidelines of Gulfood. He called on all exhibition attendees to engage with the cluster to drive collaboration and innovation.
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“We have launched the UAE Food Cluster, a strategic initiative that has played a vital role in addressing industry challenges and unlocking investment opportunities,” he said. “We would like to strengthen our national food security framework while creating new economic opportunities.”
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As part of the strategy, a board was formed to increase collaboration between industry leaders and policy makers while the Cluster Champion Award was launched to recognise companies that demonstrated excellence in innovation and best practice in the food and beverage industry. Additionally, more than 20 working groups were activated to tackle priority issues like supply chain resilience, local food production, and technology adoption.
He added that the initiative will help meet local market needs and position the UAE as a leading food exporter to key regional and global markets to support the support the country’s goals of increasing the national GDP to Dh3 trillion by the next decade.
Improving self sufficiency
He said that the UAE “has long recognised” the importance of food security and sustainability and are “actively transforming the food system” to be more resilient and self-sufficient, adding that food security is a “fundamental pillar to our national agenda.”
AlMarri then went on to explain what the country had done to ensure self-sufficiency. “We invested in advanced food production technologies, including vertical farming, hydroponics and precision agriculture,” he said. “We also strengthened our policy with a public-private partnership to enhance food supply chain resilience. Lastly, we supported sustainable food production practices that minimise environmental impact and reduces water and energy consumption.”
Call to action
AlMarri said that artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data analytics are revolutionising “the way we manage food supply chain, ensure food safety, and enhance production efficiency” and that the UAE is “actively investing in these technologies” to stay ahead of the curve. He said it was the time to act.
“Invest in research and development here in the UAE in pioneering breakthrough food technologies,” he said to exhibitors. “Align with the government policies that support food security and sustainable practices and lastly leverage digital transformation to enhance supply chain efficiency and resilience.”
He called on everyone to “seize the opportunity to drive meaningful change” and said that it was important to “invest in the future of food” to create a resilient global food system. “We stand at a pivotal moment in history,” he noted. “The choices we make today will determine the future of food security for generations to come.”
