Mohamed bin Obaid Al Mazrooei, President and Chairman of the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), praised the advancement of the clever projects put forth in the nation's agricultural and food industry sectors and stated that the total value of the authority's investments in current projects in the UAE is valued at US$1.55 billion.

He continued, "The authority has collaborated with investors from the private sector to engage in irrigation-related agricultural projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as fish farming projects in GCC nations." Six fish farming projects, including new ones in the UAE, are now being worked on by the administration.

According to this framework, he said, the authority is considering a number of investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, including funding the expansion of a trailblazing fish farming company that would enhance its current operations, boost its production capacity by about 5,000 tonnes, and introduce new species of fish.

Al Mazrooei also discussed the authority's emphasis on a variety of food items, with a particular emphasis on grains, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, and sugar. Wheat is a significant grain crop, he continued, thus the authority has established wheat-related agriculture programmes in collaboration with small-scale farmers.

In this connection, he discussed the growing of wheat in Sudan, where from 2015 to 2021, the crop was grown on a total of around 18,000 hectares of land. Because of the authority's expertise, an integrated technological package was adopted, resulting in a more than 150 percent increase in wheat crop productivity.

Then he emphasised the value of wheat to Arab communities as a vital crop that provides vital sustenance, aids in maintaining stability, and helps eradicate poverty and sickness.

Al Mazrooei praised the UAE for its desire to launch agricultural projects based on thorough food management by employing sustainability standards to increase food output by twofold. He emphasised the Bustanak project as well as the Food Tech Valley initiative started by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai.

According to him, these initiatives show progress in the agricultural sector's local adoption of cutting-edge technologies to address the shortage of arable land and the difficult climate conditions through the use of creative solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technologies.

He also emphasised the GCC countries' enormous potential for profitable agricultural investment. In view of the findings of related research studies and the increase in agricultural investments in GCC and Arab countries, he observed, the agriculture sector has seen tremendous progress in recent years.

He clarified that the UAE and the GCC nations have various benefits, including alluring investment climates that guarantee economic stability and fresh legal frameworks that support agriculture ventures.