UAE ranks top in Middle East and Africa for food security

UAE ranks top in Middle East and Africa for food security

UAE’s National Food Security Strategy seeks to strengthen local food output

A wheat farm in Mleiha, Sharjah. - KT file

Published: Wed 26 Apr 2023, 5:26 PM

The UAE ranks first among the 56 countries across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) with the lowest risk in terms of managing food security, according to a recent report by GlobalData.

Saudi Arabia came in third place after Israel in second place as one of the lowest-risk MEA nations in the GlobalData Regional and Global Risk Index (GCRI) for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022. Qatar and Kuwait followed in the fourth and fifth regional ranks, respectively, while Bahrain came in the ninth position on a regional level.

The report came as the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched the first session of the National Dialogue for Food Security with the aim of facilitating constructive discussions among stakeholders from the government and private sectors to enhance food security in the country.

The UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051 seeks to strengthen the local food production sector and reduce food loss and waste, including deploying advanced technology. “Being the host nation of COP28 in 2023, the UAE is prioritising the acceleration of efforts to achieve the objectives