Israel UAE | Business Guide | 2021

UAE Agriculture - in Statistics ●● Deserts constitute over 1 / 5 th of Earth's landmass, and around 80 % of the UAE's land area. ●● The hottest temperature measured from 1983 to October 2020 was reported in Abu Dhabi in July 2020 : a record temperature of 48 . 0 °C. ●● The total number of farms in the UAE is 38 548 - 60 % in Abu Dhabi, 16 % in the Central and Eastern Zones and the rest in the Northern Zone. ●● Typical plants: Flame tree, Frangipani, Tropical Hibiscus, Date Palm, YellowTrumpet Flower, Damas Tree, Bougainvillea. ●● In 2019 , 36 %of the total holding area in Abu Dhabi was plants, followed by field crops at 5 %, and vegetable crops at 3 %. ●● Employment in agricultural sector in 2005 was 4 . 9 % of all employedworkers. In 2000 this ratewas 7 . 9 %. ●● Revenue derived from agriculture, forestry and fishing inUnitedArabEmirates is projected to reach USD 3 . 4 billion by 2024 . Israel-UAE > Business Guide > 2021 50 > Agriculture > sector - Review D espite its desert climate, agriculture has always been a strong sector in theUAE. Obstacles likewater scarcity, severe heat and soil salinity have affected development, but still the UAE has found innovative solutions to overcome them. In 2019 , the total value of food imports to the Emirates was about 7 . 6 billionDirhams. The UAE agriculturemarket is projected to register a CAGR of 3 . 2 % for the period of 2020 - 2025 . However, it is still dependent on imports of cereals as its cereal production ismoderate: 9056 tonnes in 2018 . The import of cereals (mainly rice) was valued at USD 1 , 257 , 136 in the same year. Similarly, fruit production accounts for 381 thousand metric tonnes and vegetable production stood at 302 , 114 tonnes in 2018 . Since the government gives priority to the production of fruits and vegetables, production is showing positive growth. In the past four decades, the number of plant holdings in Abu Dhabi increased 38 -fold from 634 in 1971 to 24 , 018 in 2019 . What are the UAE’s principal crops? UAE's hot climate favors the growth of date palms. The country contributes 6 % of the world’s date production. 345 thousand tons of dates are produced annually, followed by tomatoes with 78607 tons; cucumber and gherkins add up to 71350 tons, topping the production in UAE in 2018 . Other locally grown vegetables include cabbage, eggplant, and cauliflower. What Methods of Farming are Recommended? Hydroponics and vertical gardening are emerging in this region because this process requires less water and no land or soil. Sourcing the right partner in Israel would be suggested as Israeli farming specializes in thesemethods of farming. Large parts of Israel are still desert yet these are successfully used as tracts for agriculture. Recently, agriculture in the UAE hasmade a shift towards modern irrigation systems, replacing the traditional flood irrigation, in order to reduce water consumption. Organic farming practices have also been adopted to enhance sustainable agriculture in the UAE . Governments have traditionally provided incentives to farmers, aimed at increasing production (such as a 50 % subsidy on seeds and pesticides, aswell as special loans to buy equipment (. How Israel can assist in Desert Agriculture Israeli agriculturists and companies have been able to maintain thriving agriculture in the desert. Some Israeli companies offer an ecosystem of innovations - watering Seeds of Fruitful Cooperation Not just Drip Irrigation: Israeli Expertise in Desert Agriculture can assist UAE in many ways | By Ori Nadav