Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, attended the ceremony on Tuesday that honoured the winners of its first session of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award 2023.

The ceremony, held at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Agricultural Club, Chairman of the Emirates Kiteboarding Committee and the Emirates Sup and Surf Committee, His Excellency Dr Mughir Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, and His Excellency Humaid Saeed Al Neyadi, Director of the Private Office of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Festival, in addition to a number of officials and dignitaries.

The organising committee yesterday announced 50 winners of the award out of a total of 348 participants from different emirates of the country who competed in the three main categories of the award, including 227 participants who competed in the plant category, compared to 121 participants who competed in the animal category.

The Higher Organising Committee of the Award will promote the agricultural practices of the winners with the aim of transferring knowledge and exchanging expertise on best agricultural practices that enhance agricultural sustainability and food security in the UAE.

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His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director General of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, said: "I am delighted to attend the closing ceremony of the first session of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award and to honour the winners of its valuable prizes, including farmers, breeders, commercial farms and outstanding innovators."

He expressed his pride in the award, which has the support and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Office and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, and his great confidence that it will be a source of goodness and giving to all those interested in the agricultural sector and food production in various emirates and the region.

"The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award is a sincere expression of our wise leadership's interest in the agricultural renaissance in the UAE, and confirms its keenness to encourage creativity and innovation, and to rely on the development of knowledge and excellence as a basis for progress and enhance the status of agriculture to diversify sources of national income, in addition to positive changes that bring us all good and progress to be a pioneer and leader in the field of agricultural innovation in the world," he added.

His Excellency congratulated all the winners of the Agricultural Excellence Awards, praising their hard work and perseverance in this vital and important sector for our economy and society, and urging them to continue to innovate and dedicate themselves to the agricultural sector, improve productivity and quality levels, and continue to achieve success and excellence in the future.

He also thanked all the participants who were not lucky enough to win in this edition, as well as the organising committee and the evaluation teams from MOCCAE and ADAFSA for their great efforts, especially the field evaluation, during which they visited hundreds of crop and livestock farms in different regions of the country, from Al Sila in Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah.

H.E. Dr Maryam Hareb Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award and Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority for Operational Affairs, stressed that "Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award" reflects the UAE's wise vision in developing and sustaining the agricultural sector and enhancing food security.

"We are proud of the wide and distinguished participation in the first edition of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, as we were delighted to see the participation of 832 participants, including farmers, breeders, commercial farms, palm growers, beekeepers and aquaculture farmers, in addition to productive families, who competed in the categories of the award and its related competitions," she said.

“This is in addition to the best commercial plant farm and the best farm in agricultural innovation. In the livestock sector, 121 participants competed in the categories of best livestock farm and small producer in broiler production, best aquaculture farm, best beekeeper and best honey producer, as well as best commercial farm in livestock production and best farm in livestock production innovation."

Today we will honour and congratulate the 50 outstanding winners who have made great efforts to develop their crop and livestock farms.” She further added.

She added that the 484 participants in the accompanying competitions were clear evidence of the commitment and interest of farmers and breeders in applying best agricultural practices, improving product quality and developing this vital sector.

The positive competition among participants encourages continuous improvement, innovation and the spirit of perseverance and hard work among all actors and stakeholders in this important sector. The competition for prizes in various categories encourages farmers to hone their creative and developmental skills and further improve the quality of agricultural production, increase productivity and enhance our food security of the UAE.

Concluding her speech, she congratulated all the winners of the awards for agricultural excellence in crops, livestock and innovation for their remarkable achievements, pointing out that hard work, diligence and innovation in agriculture contribute significantly to meeting our food needs and improving our quality of life, in addition to achieving the agricultural sustainability desired by our wise leaders.

At the end of the ceremony, H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, honoured the 50 winners in the presence of H.E. Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority.

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