Prepared by: Benoi Nair

Photographer: Sultan Almarzooqi

An increase of AED 35 Million compared to 2017

Dubai, UAE:

Union Coop, UAE’s largest Consumer Cooperative revealed that the value of its UAE agricultural products in 2018 amounted to AED 79 Million, an increase of AED 35 Million compared to 2017, pointing out that supporting and encouraging agriculture stems from its core objective to establish a sustainable agricultural environment with enhanced stock and food security.
Talking about how Union Coop has been supporting UAE’s agro-economy, H.E. Khalid Humaid Bin Diban Al Falasi, CEO of Union Coop said, “Union Coop encourages farmers to develop UAE farms while ensuring the product quality, achieved by attending developmental lectures and workshops to improve the quality and quantity of crops, while ensuring the product quality adheres as per the international standards.”
He pointed out that since 2007, Union Coop has been seeking UAE farmers in cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change, to purchase and market their crops through its outlets in the emirate of Dubai. Union Coop has established contracts with cultivators of organic products and fulfilled their financial dues much faster compared to other suppliers.
He added, “Union Coop offers many benefits to Emirati farmers as well as members of the Khalifa Fund and The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), including the ease of registration as a supplier, facilitating and expediting the payment process and exempting from certain conditions of supply.”
Future Plans
With respect to the future plans of Union Coop to increase its purchase of UAE products, the CEO said, “We conduct periodic visits to farms, follow up production lines and inputs, hold periodic meetings and lectures for farmers to inform them of the best global practices of agriculture and guide them to cultivate crops as per the desires of the consumers. We will also hold workshops and training courses for farmers with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, to encourage them to invest in the field of organic production through the investment of their land in agriculture.”
“With the support of the wise leadership and its insight into the importance of agriculture, self-reliance and harnessing technology to create a sustainable environment, it has contributed to providing an environment that meets all the needs of its society and provides them with food security, which is one of the main themes of successful societies.”
Move
He pointed out that “Modern Agriculture in the UAE has amazed the world, as a country that was dependent on imports in the past, today there are mass sections of fresh products grown in the UAE itself, and the state currently produces 45 to 60 varieties of vegetables and fruits of different variables that are of high quality and as per European standard specifications. UAE also deploys cutting-edge technologies that reduce water consumption.”