The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Majid Al Futtaim Retail to cooperate in the marketing of local agricultural products through Carrefour stores in the UAE. The MoU was signed by His Excellency Sultan Alwan, Assistant Undersecretary of the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, and Miguel Provedano, Executive Regional Director for Carrefour UAE at Majid Al Futtaim Retail.

Under the terms of the agreement, Majid Al Futtaim will provide sales training to local suppliers of agricultural products. Furthermore, the company will support MOCCAE’s Mawroothna social initiative that assists companies and entrepreneurs active in the field of agriculture and fisheries.

The MoU is the result of the keenness of the two parties to strengthen their strategic partnership and join forces in promoting the UAE's agricultural sector and marketing local agricultural products. Its ultimate objective is to enhance food diversity and security in the country, and ensure the sustainability of its environment for present and future generations.

The initiative comes in response to the growing demand for local organic production and the Ministry’s drive to promote the UAE’s organic market through raising public awareness about the benefits of organic products.

His Excellency Sultan Alwan said: “In line with the UAE’s green development efforts and its commitment to adopting a green economy in the pursuit of sustainable development goals, food diversity is one of the top-priority strategic issues for the country’s government. In this context, MOCCAE aims to enhance the economic competitiveness of the UAE’s agricultural sector, create jobs, attract investments, support innovation and knowledge, and enhance the efficient use of natural resources.”

He added: “MOCCAE works relentlessly to support local agriculture industry and the marketing of its products in order to implement the country's food diversity strategy. The Ministry provides farmers with agricultural production essentials, such as fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation pipes, soil testing devices, seeds and organic agriculture supplies, at a 50 percent discount. Among other achievements, these measures have led to a 33.5 percent growth of aquaculture over the past three years.”

For his part, Miguel Provedano said: "Majid Al Futtaim Retail is proud to be an active community organization that supports local farmers through selling their products in Carrefour stores, contributing to economic diversification and promoting the national economy.”

He added: “The partnership with MOCCAE allows us to participate in the development of a competitive local agricultural value chain and to improve the efficiency of farm production through training and educating local farmers on the sale and promotion of their products. The agreement also supports the objectives of Majid Al Futtaim Retail to bridge the gap between the supply and demand of fresh produce, and enhance the diversity of local products available in Carrefour.”

The demand for organic produce in the UAE has been rising steadily, and the supply is not far behind. In 2016, the sales of local organic products increased by AED20 million through the addition of two partner outlets. By end-2016, the country had 80 organic vegetable farms, seven organic animal farms and five organic manufacturing facilities spanning a total area of 45,890 acres.