Media ININ Economy We Trust
19-02-2019Media in\ Dubai
Food experts from the UAE, Russia and Africa have confirmed that the new “grain road” initiative could contribute to food security in different continents.
This came during their participation in the Russian-UAE-Africa Food Security Forum held today as an opening event for the “Gulf Innovation Summit”.
Gulfood is the largest food and beverage industry event and in its 24th edition brings together more than 5,000 global producers in the industry for the largest trade deals.
Ministers from the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Uganda met to discuss the three-continent “Grain Road” initiative and study their capacity to enhance food security in the Middle East and Africa region, especially with the projected population of 2 billion by 2030, And World Beverages 2019.
The Forum hosted guests at the highest levels, including HE Mariam Bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Food Security, Sergey Levin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and Michel Wierke Kavaposa, Minister of State for Trade and Cooperation of the Republic of Uganda, who discussed the new “Grain Road” To Africa through the Middle East and the ability of this initiative to promote trade between East and West.
HE Al-Muhairi stressed the importance of moving without delay to ensure continuous development and a bright and sustainable future. Statistics indicate that one-third of the world’s food is wasted, while 800 million people do not find their way. If only 25 percent of the food is saved, Everyone needs food because many people consider food availability to be taken for granted, stressing that it is time to review the methodologies used to produce food and develop dietary habits.
She pointed out that the UAE is currently ranked 31st on the World Food Security Index and has adopted the latest technologies and has become a pioneer in innovation in food security. The country is able to use the government accelerator platform to overcome obstacles in the local food production sector and strengthen the agricultural business sector.
She noted the UAE’s development in the agribusiness sector and its keenness to adopt policies that support the sustainability of the agricultural sector. Such steps contribute to strengthening the agricultural business of countries and enabling their efforts to fight hunger.
For his part, Sergei Levin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, said that his country is ready to play a pivotal role in enhancing the future of food security, stressing that the Russian agricultural business has seen remarkable growth in the last ten years and continues to improve significantly. And its enormous potential in this sector, it is entitled to play this role and supply the rest of the world with Russian agricultural products.
He pointed out that Russian exports of agricultural products in 2018 amounted to 26 billion dollars, including 55 million tons of grain. Beef exports also grew by 30 percent and exports of fish and seafood by 23 percent.
Levine pointed to the large Russian contribution in the confectionery sector and pointed out that the rate of halal food production is rising to more than 20% annually.
For his part, Minister of State for Trade and Cooperation of the Republic of Uganda, Yareki Kavaposa, said that with the concept of “grain road”, trade relations across continents will be enhanced and will benefit the countries and the consumer community beyond the borders of the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Uganda.
“We grew up in a supportive environment to produce healthy food and coffee is one of our major exports. Uganda is the main African exporter of bananas with 20 varieties,” he said. During strategic partnerships, we can supply many countries of the world with food needs.
