MP, Maha & Gujarat Big In India-UAE Food Security Plan

MP, Maha & Gujarat Big In India-UAE Food Security Plan 

ON THE PLATE As part of the proposed pact, special food zones in India will store and export excess agriculture produce to the UAE market

India and the UAE are hoping to put in place a food security partnership that envisages storage farms in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to store excess agriculture produce for supply to markets in the Arab state during the visit of UAE’s foreign minister. Talks on the agreement likely to figure in the UAE foreign minister’s ongoing India visit

India and the United Arab Emirates are hoping to put in place a food security partnership that envisages storage farms in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to store excess agriculture produce for supply to markets in the Arab state during foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit. The plan comes in the backdrop of the UAE looking to address India’s energy security needs as both countries extend their areas of cooperation through greater engagement. 

As part of the partnership, the states will also grow produce dedicated for the UAE markets, said people with knowledge of the matter. Nahyan’s seven-day trip began on Sunday. India is working on a “farm-toport” project with dedicated logistics infrastructure along the supply chain for shipment to the UAE from farms in the three states. UAE construction giant Emaar is building storage facilities in the three states toward this end. The arrangement will benefit farmers in the three states ahead of elections.

The farm-to-port project will be similar to a special economic zone but in the style of a corporatised farm, where crops would be grown keeping a specific UAE market in mind. The concept has been accepted by both governments. The new food security laws in India may not apply to the produce from these special food zones, according to persons familiar with the matter. If successful, it will create a whole new sector for agro-industries.

Ensuring food security remains an area of high priority for the two sides whose partnership has been on the upswing since 2015. The Indian government has also welcomed a proposal from the UAE side for establishing food security parks, including through the creation of high-quality food processing infrastructure, integrated cold chains, value addition, preservation technology, packaging of food products and marketing.

The UAE imports 80-90% of its food requirements due lack of arable land, water scarcity and a hot climatemuch of the land being desert. The country’s dependence on global and regional markets, coupled with population growth to 11.5 million in 2025 and local food consumption rising by 12% each year, will put increased pressure on its food sector.

The UAE government has therefore developed a comprehensive plan to secure its food supplies, which includes investment in farmlands in Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan and Egypt besides improving domestic productivity by using new technologies. However, poor security and political risks affected some of these projects with the UAE shifting its focus to safer locations in eastern Europe, Australia, and North and South America apart from India.

The UAE earlier this year launched a think tank of 50 public and private entities to identify strategies for long-term food security. Six sectors have been identified by the UAE government — livestock, poultry, dairy, fruits and vegetables, date production and aquaculture — as key areas under the food security plan.

The Economic Times, 25th June 2018, New Delhi