Agriculture and Fisheries

     The United Arab Emirates is located in the heart of the dry zone of the world. Despite the severe drought which characterizes this zone, the State was converted into an agricultural country in a few short years, thanks to the determination and strong will of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his close attention to the agricultural development plans of the State.

     Major agricultural projects have succeeded. This can be seen in the spread of green meadows, fertile farms, and the growing of wheat and fruit. Plans which were set up to fight the spreading of the desert by means of green belts and growing forests in the sand of the desert have also succeeded.

     The agricultural section has achieved great growth in agricultural production, so much so that the UAE has become self-sufficient in vegetables, fruit, and fodder. This has been achieved through the use of modern technology and advanced methods of production, which rely on improved seeds, the development of irrigation methods, the fight against diseases and pests, the preservation of natural resources like soil and water, and the establishment of agricultural research stations.

     Since 1971, the UAE has focused on developing a program for accelerated growth in all areas of life, including agriculture, as if it were racing against time to catch up with advanced countries and to achieve the desired state of civilization. What has been achieved, as well as what will be accomplished in the future, God willing, is due, first and foremost, to the ceaseless efforts of His Highness, to his magnanimity, and to his prudent leadership. These laudable attributes have guaranteed development, progress, prosperity, and the spread of civilization in all spheres of life. He has laid the foundation for a march along the right track, a track that leads to growth. As a result, the number of farms has increased rapidly, green areas have expanded, and production has doubled. The total rate of development, in 1992 for instance, was 543%.

     His Highness said: "You give me agriculture, I guarantee you civilization."
He also said: "People used to say: 'Agriculture has no future'. But by God's grace and our determination we have succeeded in converting the desert into a green land."

     Who would ever have thought that this barren desert would be adorned by meadows and stretches of trees and gardens that are beautiful beyond compare? Who would ever have imagined that the UAE could produce enough vegetables and fruit to more than satisfy local consumption?

     Agriculture in the UAE has multiplied many times in size since the seventies -vegetables, fruits and twenty million palm trees. The UAE by virtue of the fertility of its soil produces all this. It is little wonder that it has become one of the biggest producers of dates in the world. By 1998, Abu Dhabi Emirate alone had planted more than 120 million trees. The story acquires greater significance if we speak of the orchards, gardens, cultivated lands and fruit bearing trees in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain.

      This greenery helped to reduce climatic temperatures and formed a firm base for an agricultural revolution in the UAE. The shelves of local markets all over the UAE abound with citrus fruits, watermelons, melons, figs, cucumbers, carrots, cabbages, marrows, aubergines, tomatoes, beans, cereals and flowers.

     These great achievements in the fields of agriculture and fisheries have surprised visitors, researchers and expatriates alike and have played a significant role in realizing the strategy and goals of His Highness in achieving self-sufficiency.

     It would suffice here to refer to his instructions and his determination in matters pertinent to agriculture. These have motivated researchers to carry out numerous experiments to grow different kinds of fruits and vegetables using the latest technologies, and to increase and improve production. Establishing government agricultural centers at Al Ain, Al Dhaid, Hamraniyah and Kalba has had laudable results.

     These centers have paid attention to mechanizing palm tree fertilization and tested 30 kinds of wheat and barley, in addition to cooperating with agricultural districts in each of the Emirates and fighting palm tree mites. They have also instructed farmers and informed them of the results of their research so that farmers can to benefit from these results.

     The credit for this great agricultural growth is attributed to H.H. Sheikh Zayed and his great love for the land and for agriculture. This is evidenced by the massive amount of money he has spent to make of his agricultural project a success and to start large modern farms, such as:
* The Al Jarf farm which has become a green forest with more than half a million large trees.
* The beautiful Al Ajban farm, which consists of more than 1,500 mango trees, 5000 Guava trees, 300,000 palm trees, and great numbers of citrus trees.
* Seer Bani Yas island, which His Highness has transformed into a vast farm that attracts wide attention. It is also a natural sanctuary for wildlife. On this island the growing of apples, pineapples, bananas, pears and olive trees has flourished. Coffee may also be grown on the island since experiments have shown that this is possible.

     His Highness has given a splendid example in the field of agriculture, extending means of irrigation to irrigate cultivated and green areas. Indeed, it would not be an overstatement to say that the method which His Highness has adopted is now something to be imitated all over the country. Nothing has discouraged him - the hot weather, the costs of cultivation, the fact that all land is desert, the wells are dry and rain is scarce.

     He has directed the policy of the government towards injecting prosperity into the agricultural sector because of his belief in the importance of this sector for a State that seeks the fastest road to a higher level of civilization. He has given instructions, followed things up and exerted great effort to realize this. He has prepared land for citizens who are capable of cultivating the land, distributed seedlings without charge, and employed engineers to give the farmers guidance and help them. He has also given the farmers guarantees, aid and financial loans so that they can buy agricultural equipment, fertilizers and seeds. It is worth mentioning here that in 1990 sand dunes receded to give room to 280 thousand hectares of gardens, farms and forests to replace desert.

     Following this, he declared his opposition to migration from rural areas to the cities. However, he did not simply issue a decree to prohibit this kind of migration. To prevent rural-urban migration, he studied the living conditions of the farmers in the rural areas and came to an understanding of the circumstances affecting their lives. He then started construction projects to provide them with modern houses in addition to taking measures to make their lives easy and to provide them with everything they need. To give them more encouragement to develop agriculture, he gave orders to grant every farmer who undertakes the task of changing the area surrounding his house the ownership of the house.

     Farms have spread out all over the country: in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. As greenery has spread everywhere, so too have roundabouts, sidewalks and beaches been greened.

     The average size of private farms ranges between 32 and 35 hectares. The policy to increase food production and animal feed has made some farmers grow the alfalfa which gives fourteen harvests per year. Many things have been achieved and the production of vegetables now covers 55% of the total needs of the State. In the area of the Liwa Oasis wheat farms can now be seen.

     More than 100,000 hectares of the desert have been reclaimed and converted into productive farms. These operations are still being carried out with high efficacy and at a fast rate. This has been positively reflected in the increase in the number of sheep, cows and camels. Similarly, dairy farming has grown and the national annual production is more than one thousand tons, in addition to the production of cream, butter and yogurt. Local meat is also available.

     We have to refer, in this context, to the great success achieved in the production of poultry and eggs in Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah. Ras Al Khaimah Poultry and Fodder in Diqdaga produces more than one quarter of a million eggs per week. Chicken meat production in the UAE was 34,000 tons in 1995.

     In order to overcome the water salinity problem, the State seeks to establish a number of desalination stations, including sewerage water treatment plants, as in Dubai, to cooperate with the Islamic Development Bank in conducting studies and research on growing salinity-resistant crops, and to introduce modern irrigation networks. Half of the cost of these networks is borne by the government as a means of supporting farmers. Now this irrigation system covers 61% of the total cultivated and irrigated farming area. What is more, this network is being extended to the areas covered by forests in the State, which represents 300,000 hectares.

     An agreement for technical cooperation has been concluded with the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) whereby the center will provide technical consultation services and conduct research. In this context we must mention the Zayed Agricultural Center for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, which was opened in 1994, to use agriculture and the environment as means for rehabilitating disabled persons.

Trees and Flowers Grow in the Desert
     I will only give one example of the number and names of the trees and flowers that grow in Abu Dhabi to attest to the effort that has been exerted to convert the desert into magnificent and glamorous gardens. Without Sheikh Zayed's capacity for giving and his strong will and love for greenery and progress, none of this would have been achieved.

     In Sura ('Abasa) God says:
     "Then let man look at his food(24) We pour forth water in abundance(25) And we split the earth in clefts(26) And we cause therein the grain to grow(27) And grapes and clover plants(28) And olives and date-palms(29) And gardens dense with many (30) And fruits and herbage(31) (To be) a provision and benefit for you and your cattle(32).

     Zayed's deep belief in the ability of God, Most Mighty and Most High, to will everything has increased his determination to change the desert into a piece of land full of green trees. This miracle has in fact happened.

     H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Butti Al Hamed, President of Abu Dhabi Municipality and Town Planning, says in his introduction to the book titled Flowers Grow in Sands: "The invaluable instructions of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the State, may God protect him, and his honest Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the Executive Council and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, which have been issued to Abu Dhabi Municipality have always remained a guiding light in the domain of extending greenery and implementing agricultural projects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These instructions also represent the path we follow to direct and help citizens and expatriates to acquire agricultural expertise and to identify different decorative plants, as well as to seek the advice of specialists on the best way to plant decorative plants and to take care of them."

     The types of ornamental trees grown in Abu Dhabi are: California Pepper Trees, Brazilian Pepper Trees, Norfolk-Island Pine, Sharp-leaf Jacaranda, Indian Cork Tree, Flame of the Wood, Red Silk Cotton Trees, Scarlet Cordia, Whispering Pine, Terminalia, Green Wattle, Women's Tongue, Butterfly Trees, Golden Rain Trees, Pink & White Shower, Jerusalem Thorn, Rusty Shield, Manila Tamarind, Flamboyant, Pongamia Clabra, Tamarind, Umbrella Trees, Neem Trees, Jack Fruit Trees, Banyan Trees, Java Fig Trees, India Rubber Plant, Moraceae, Bo-Trees, Laurel, Morus Alba, Drumstick Trees, River Red Gum, Jambolan, Coconut Palm, Date Palm, California Fan Palm, and Cypress.

     As for desert trees in Abu Dhabi, they include:
     Calatropis Procera, Acacia Arabica, Perfume Wattle, Sweet Acacia, Acacia Seyal, Sammer, Mabride, Algoroba Bean, Prosopis Spicigara, Calligonum Comosum, Chinese Date, Christthorn, and Athel Tamarish.

     We conclude from what has been mentioned above that there is a great variety of trees and decorative plants in Abu Dhabi. If we add to this the different types of palm trees, we will know the number of trees which are planted in Abu Dhabi. As for desert plants, there are approximately a dozen different types. If we take all this into consideration, will not Zayed's words "Let's try" acquire the significance of a commendable attitude. Scientific and technological progress in the different agricultural fields in the UAE is pressing forward very fast. This requires follow up, research and attempts to interact with developed countries and to develop our own technologies.

Meeting the Challenge Successfully
     Sheikh Zayed has succeeded in meeting the challenge of desertification successfully. The UAE has changed into a green land. This has been achieved through patience, sound planning and wise leadership. The experts were absolutely right when they said: "This is a miracle in an era when miracles have become something from the past."

     The world is amazed as it looks at the experiment of the UAE in the agricultural field. This experiment represents the effort of Zayed, the living ideal of ingenuity, true awareness and benevolence. It is inseparable from his boundless magnanimity. His touch can be seen everywhere on the land of the UAE. No wonder that every one wishes Zayed success because of his dedication, his love to create challenges and meet them, his rare experience and remarkable abilities.

     The experts said that the desert was not suitable for agriculture. But he insisted on seeing greenery spread all over the country, relying on God, awareness, knowledge and determination. Today, the area dedicated to farming attracts attention. It would suffice to mention that, during 1997, this area reached 879,234 acres comprising 22,930 farms. Also, the production of vegetables during the same year was 1,023,554 tons, whereas that of fruits excluding dates was 42,579 tons. Dates received 50% of the total financial aid given to the production of fruits and vegetables in that year. The number of greenhouses was in the region of 7,358, occupying an area of about 21,865 acres. The number of forests in Abu Dhabi was 162, containing 52 million trees, while the number of farms in Al Ain leapt to 10,500. God will reward Zayed for every single date fruit that has been produced in the UAE, and this is a very great reward indeed.

     To conclude, from Zayed's point of view, agriculture expresses in fact a profound understanding of the roots of stability in any community. Agriculture is not merely a green color. Before being so, it represents a bond with the earth and the soil of the homeland. It is an element of stability and permanence. Agriculture is the first school where man embraces interdependence with nature and learns how to produce his means of subsistence. All this depends on man's ability to learn how irrigate land to make it bestow its riches on him, to coexist with nature, to obtain his requirements for food and other subsistence. Thus mankind learned how to water the land and to get all those bounties. There is no denying the fact that the point of view of His Highness with respect to agriculture derives from noble motives which deserve appreciation and respect.

     There is no doubt in my mind that anyone who reads, hears about or witnesses what Zayed has done to realize the miracle of spreading greenery in the desert will appreciate the deeds of this leader, who has presided over this rare and magnificent experiment, an experiment that has swiftly changed into tangible reality, into an accomplishment whose driving force is civilization and which will live forever in the historical chronicles of the UAE.

     His Highness has been constructing huge dams and importing desalination plants to irrigate cultivated lands and spread greenery. H.H. Sheikh Saeed Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, speaking of the kind of bliss that spread its wings over all the wadis of the UAE, has the following to say: "This dream, honestly speaking, could not have been achieved without God's will and the directives of H.H. Sheikh Zayed, the President of the State. To us, he has been the teacher and the guide who, in spite of his busy schedule, would pay surprise visits and personally follow up the smallest details in the process of implementation. This has given us impetus to work harder and harder."

Fisheries

     The UAE has enormous wealth in the field of fisheries. It produces more fish than other Gulf countries. In 1994, for instance, the UAE produced 108,000 tons. However, some legal restraints must be implemented to conserve national fish stocks. This has resulted in calls for applying modern fishing methods including specially equipped ships, efficient nets, and advanced tools.

     However, these calls have not been heeded nor encouraged, due mainly to the fact that such measures lead to less immediate profit. Hence the Ministry of Agriculture has taken practical steps to control the level of fish exploitation with the ultimate aim to increase the amount of fish and thus conserve this wealth. This is especially important since the number of fishermen has increased from 3962 in 1997, to 14,143.

     The government has encouraged fish farming as a means to applying recent advances in science to increase the production of seafood. The Center for Marine Creatures Research in Umm Al Quwain, which was established in 1984, concentrates on the means and methods of fish and shrimp breeding for trade purposes and on conducting research on the immature forms of some fish and crustacean species to increase their amount and rate of breeding in the waters the UAE.

     The agriculture and fishing sector has achieved noticeable rates of growth in the UAE. In Abu Dhabi alone, a yield of 1.6 billion dirhams was recorded in a single year, 1994. Actually, words fall short of describing H.H. Sheikh Zayed who has been monumental not only in providing everything which serves the prosperity of agriculture and fish wealth, but also in being a planner and a source of constant support to both. Words reveal their inadequacy when the subject is to pay tribute to this great leader. Whichever words one comes up with, they are bound to do him less than justice.

     In 1995, Dr. Jacques Diouf, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), visited the UAE to pay tribute to H.H. Sheikh Zayed, the President of the State, in appreciation of his achievements in spreading greenery, and in recognition of the fact that what he had done would remain an unsurpassed achievement in the memory of the UAE citizens and the Arab nation. Mr. Diouf said on that occasion: "The advanced agricultural techniques which have been applied in the UAE have helped in developing the rural areas and in reducing migration to urban centers. H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, is the first leader in the region to be given this kind of tribute by the FAO."

     Dr. Karmatullah Yazdani, the first dentist to come to Abu Dhabi 44 years ago, talks about prosperity in the State, generally, and in agriculture particularly, to demonstrate that H.H. Sheikh Zayed has known right from the very beginning that agriculture is the basis of civilization. In this regard he says: "I have a strong conviction that the growth and prosperity being enjoyed by the UAE now have been achieved by virtue of the foresight and large scope of vision of those who have taken up the responsibility of ruling the country. This has been aided by the good will of citizens and their tendency to do what is good. God has compensated the years of hardships and suffering they have been through."

     Dr. Yazdani goes on to add: "When I call to mind the state of Abu Dhabi some forty-five years ago when I first came here and compare it to its present state, a phantasmagoria assails my eyes. I can almost not believe what I see. A universal renaissance has taken place. Everything has been subject to incredible change. A race has started from the start line to reach the finish line in a handful of decades. This fact acquires a sort of ecstasy to it when one remembers that many countries have had to wait for centuries to achieve what the UAE has achieved in a few decades. In other words, those in charge of things in the UAE have started a race against time and have more than deservedly won because of their loyalty, clear conscience, doing their tasks wholeheartedly, their foresight and the large scope of vision."

     The UAE has specified ceremonies for growing of trees that border almost on ritualism. Every year it celebrates the Tree-Planting Week under a certain motto chosen by the Secretariat-General of Municipalities. One can refer to the Tree-Planting Week of 1999 which took place from February 20 to 26, under the motto: "Local trees represent a wealth that must be conserved." The ultimate goal of the celebration is to spread an awareness of the importance of agriculture and to bring to the foreground the subject of planting trees.

     H.E. Jassim Mohammed Darwish, the Secretary-General of Municipalities, gave a statement to Al Bayan newspaper on January 23, 1999, in which he said that more than 92.5 thousand hectares were planted inside and outside the city of Abu Dhabi. The statement also mentioned that more than 1.6 million tree seedlings and 22 million seedlings of different flowers were distributed. Furthermore, an area of 1645 hectares was cultivated in the Emirate of Dubai and 48 agricultural projects were completed in 1998. More than 10,000 farms were established in the cities of the western province and were provided with all their requirements. In this context, Al Qarhoud Nursery is actually a scientific institution that focuses on the improvement of plant species in the State. In Abu Dhabi there are more than 3.7 million square meters of gardens and parks.

Zayed Agricultural Center For Rehabilitation Of Disabled Persons

     H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Butti Al Hamed gave a statement to Al Ittihad newspaper, on January 28, 1997, in which he said that local agricultural production "is flooding the markets and competing with imported products." He went on to say: "There are 6408 productive farms in Abu Dhabi to which 500 more farms are added every year. This means that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in vegetables for most periods of the year." H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Butti Al Hamed continues: "Dreams have come true and have been transformed into tangible reality as we see our local agricultural products inundate the markets and compete with imported products."

     The Zayed Agricultural Center for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons is a model with respect to human capacity for giving in order to help the other. The disabled have achieved a surplus in production. However, this is not the end of their story. They are now preparing to embark on a new stage of more production.

     This Center was established by instruction from H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the State, with the aim of asserting the fact that the disabled can overcome their disability and prove that they are productive human beings of very high value in society. Since its foundation, the Center has set a good example. It has been given lands to be cultivated and overseen by disabled persons, using modern technologies to improve and increase agricultural production. Production rose to 4 tons with a total value of 8 thousand dirhams per day in 1999.

     Mr. Adma Tamido, the Director of the Zayed Agricultural Center for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, has explained that the leap in the production of vegetables, (tomatoes, zucchini, aubergine, eggplants, cabbage, corn, cucumber) can be attributed to two factors. In the first place, making use of the new areas that have been added to the Center owing to the instructions given by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the State, as a result of the successes made by the Center in the past period. The area of these lands is 11 hectares of which 7 have been used by the administration of the Center for agricultural purposes. Secondly, the expertise which has been acquired by disabled persons in the necessary daily agricultural activities on which they have been continuously trained since the Center was established.

     Tamido says: "The proceeds of the real returns of the daily agricultural production are allocated to financing future projects specified for disabled persons. The aim is to increase the capacity of the Center and to realize the basic objective - incorporating the disabled person into society and making him interact with this society in societal and productive terms. The ultimate goal is to make the disabled person an active element that enhances the economic growth of the country." He goes on to add: "The Center started its agricultural work on a one hectare area for nearly two years. With the addition of the new area, the Center has managed to use a large part of it in agriculture, leaving the remainder for establishing 10 greenhouses of 600 m2 to be used for agricultural purposes. In addition to this, agriculture in open areas is also practiced. It is expected that average production rates will increase significantly when these greenhouses are up and running."

Future Horizons
     As for future projects which the Center is going to implement, Mr. Tamido said: "There is a number of projects such as the establishment of an apiary, a unit for poultry products, and a factory for canning tomatoes which will incorporate modern technology and make use of the massive amount of tomatoes which is produced during the season. This will create jobs and be of benefit to the citizen at the same time.

The Way the Center Operates
     Mr. Tamido said it would be very difficult to set up a specific program for those suffering from mental disabilities as they would not always be able to adhere to such programs, and are not expected to abide by the scheduled programs. He says in this respect: "We, as management, deal first with the psychological state of the disabled and this is known as therapy and work under psychological orientation of the mentally disabled."

     A study by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry on agricultural development, published in Al Ittihad newspaper on March 2, 1999, has revealed amazing results of the agricultural policy of the UAE when the policy relies on self-sufficiency. It has transpired that there is an increase of 117% in agricultural lands that has occurred over the last ten years. The study has also revealed that the rates of self-sufficiency in different domains have risen to 88% for milk, 63% for vegetables and 25% for red meat. As for the number of productive farms in the State, it jumped to 799,000 acres in 1997. Annual rates of increase for areas growing vegetables are 22%, according to the study, whereas date palm farms have increased by 21%. This is a significant indicator when the issue at hand is implementing plans for self-sufficiency. On the other hand, this means that imports have noticeably dipped as a result of this qualitative change in agricultural development.

     The UAE owes all this to the instructions given by His Highness whose determination and strong will have always focused on changing the desert into patches of green, something which he has managed to realize. Now both the UAE citizen and the expatriates enjoy the kind of local riches that make all Arabs proud of what has been achieved. In what follows, we will refer to a short study of the market operations in Dubai as a typical example of economic performance in the State.

Market Operations
     From the beginning of 1998 to the end of November the same year, Dubai imported around 1.8 million tons of foodstuffs, at the rate of 164,000 tons per month. Cereals, dry legumes, vegetables and fruits together formed more than half the total imported foodstuffs, followed by oils and fats and canned foodstuffs at the rate of 9% and 8%, respectively. The volume of imported foodstuffs in the third quarter dropped by 11% compared to their volume in the second quarter. This was caused by the natural decline in demand during the summer months because great numbers of UAE nationals and expatriates leave to go abroad during these months.

     The data shows that the volume of Dubai foodstuffs exports in November climbed to more than 156,000 tons, with an increase rate of 1.7% compared to October. If we compare the volume of foodstuffs imports in November to that of October, we will notice that there was an increase in most foodstuffs imports in November compared to the imports of October. This is consistent with the seasonal preparations that traders engage in before the beginning of the month of Ramadan. The volume of the imported foodstuffs could have been bigger than the recorded one had it not been for the drop in the volume of imported fresh vegetables and fruits owing to the beginning of the season of local production and the supply of huge quantities to the market, as well as the drop in the imports of other products, such as water and soft drinks, due to the end of the summer season. We could also notice that the quantity of imported frozen meat which could be stored till the beginning of Ramadan, when the demand is usually high, had increased while the imported refrigerated meat had decreased because of the large surplus of such meat and the large number of livestock on the market. There was a big increase in the volume of canned and packed foodstuffs, which had jumped to 170% compared to that of the previous month. This was inevitable in the context of meeting the expected seasonal increase in demand on such foodstuffs because of the juices they contain and because of their nutritional value; both these facts increase the demand for them during Ramadan. The same was true of other foodstuffs, which increased by 194% in November. The prices of vegetables, fruits and meat witnessed significant fluctuation in the market of Dubai during November 1998, at a time when the prices of most of the other foodstuffs remained stable. The prices of fresh vegetables and fruits were steadily falling during November and the supply was more than the demand because the market was supplied with ample amounts of local produce.

     Re-exporting operations were very active in the market of fruits and vegetables during November 1998. There was a lot of daily movement in this particular area where the daily average rate was 600 tons. The number of re-exported refrigerated containers was 901 with a total capacity of 18,020 tons of foodstuff, 50% of which was sent to the Sultanate of Oman and the rest to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

     During the months of October and November 1998, the meat market witnessed a huge movement of frozen meat and live sheep, which exceeded demand. Two factors contributed to the increase in supply. First, the Commonwealth of Independent States tended to satisfy their requirements by importing directly from the countries of origin. Second, the continued suspension of re-exporting live sheep to other countries, owing to the ban imposed by some neighboring countries on the transit of live sheep across their territories, since April 1998. This inevitably led to the end of the steep growth in exports that was experienced in the meat market over the previous three years as a result of high export rates. Although local demand for meat in Dubai improved during November, it never reached the levels of the previous year.

Food Security : A Strategic Goal

     The food industry occupies a prominent position in the economies of Arab countries, where its contribution to the added value of the financial industries ranges from 25% to 40%. The UAE, by the President's instructions, has given special attention to the food security sector because it represents a strategic goal which has a direct influence on the progress and stability of the country. This has prompted the government to incorporate food security to the core of the development plans to achieve self-sufficiency in this sector and to eliminate the food gap that affects many countries.

     The UNDP has a substantial role in facilitating the establishment of development projects and in making trade exchange easier. His Highness Sheikh Zayed has declared his strategy in this domain and given instructions to achieve self-sufficiency and adopt all means to reach this goal, such as the introduction of modern techniques, employing the best capabilities, the development of trade exchange, creating the greatest possible number of trade opportunities, developing local products, breaking down barriers, and cooperating with Arab sister states to eliminate any obstacles that hinder Arab trade operations. He has also given instructions to establish marketing companies through an appropriate mechanism that will constitute a reliable instrument with respect to developing food security and supporting it in terms of finance, materials and human resources. Food security will be the salient characteristic of the progressive steps that are taken by the UAE, steps that speak of confidence, awareness, and knowledge. No doubt there will be success, since such steps will be guided by the wisdom and foresight of the great UAE leader, H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the State.