Dibba Bay oysters to help boost UAE's food security, says HE Mariam Almheiri

Article originally published by Caterer Middle East

The Minister of State for Food and Water Security recently visited the Fujairah shellfish farm.

Founded just five years ago, the Dibba Bay shellfish farm in Fujairah has already set itself up to play a pivotal role in the country’s food security ambitions.

HE Mariam Almheiri UAE Minister of Food and Water Security commended the farm after recently paying a visit following its production upgrades.

HE Almheiri said: “Expansion into foreign markets is a significant milestone for any local food production company and the increase in production capacity at Dibba Bay will ultimately enhance efforts to reach the UAE’s food security goals, I congratulate Dibba Bay for successfully scaling up its aquaculture operations.”

Dibba Bay has just finished its new production facility which is will be able to produce half a million oysters a month by end of this year. A large percentage of the produce is going for export to countries that include Russia and Hong Kong, as well as other GCC countries.

Over the past year, the company has expanded into Dubai with a local oyster shop and has begun offering oyster deliveries to various neighbourhoods of the emirate.

HE Almheiri continued: “Aquaculture is one of the most important areas of agriculture for the UAE as it makes optimum use of our most precious resource, water. The oysters from Dibba bay will help meet the demand on seafood as well as generate revenue from their export to markets abroad, which will benefit the local economy in Fujairah as well as contribute to the national economy.”

Food security is of paramount importance to the UAE, having set up the Emirates Food Security Council last year. The Council tackles various issues such as preparation for emergencies and crises, strategic stocks of food, local agricultural production, food safety, international investment, diversification of food import stocks and nutrition.

It is hoped that by 2051 the UAE will be the number one country on the Global Food Security Index. As of December 2020, Finland is number one on the index, while the UAE is 42nd.

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