ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - UAE Interact

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164UNITED ARAB EMIRATES YEARBOOK 2006ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT165The UAE’s natural attributes form a key part of tourism development strategythroughout the Emirates. Ecotourism is one of many niche markets receivingattention in 2005. The UAE aims to attract birdwatchers, scientists, researchers andstudents to visit areas of special natural beauty and interest, such as the Ra’s al-KhorWildlife Sanctuary located at the head of Dubai Creek. Three watchtowers havebeen provided close to a feeding ground for large numbers of flamingos, otherwading birds and a host of migratory species. Other sanctuaries have been createdin various parts of the country.Each emirate has its own attractions. Sharjah has built a reputation for its culturalpreservation and its special interest in education, the arts and heritage. Projectssuch as authentic building and souq preservations, a large number of museumsand galleries, together with its special Natural History Museum, Desert Park andArabian Wildlife Centre have drawn on natural assets and created a unique seriesof experiences that visitors can enjoy, regardless of where they are staying withinthe UAE. In addition, Sharjah has recently strengthened efforts to promote tourism.Part of the emirate’s attraction is its shopping facilities, with six major shoppingmalls, including four souqs.Ra’s al-Khaimah is planning new hotels and two or three new golf courses.One of these, ‘The Cove’, will be on more than 50 acres of beachfront property,including 134 Nubian style furnished residences. Its target markets are especiallyItaly, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. Many of the new projects are beingdeveloped near the new Emirates Highway which is cutting travel time betweenDubai and Ra’s al-Khaimah to 45 minutes.Ajman has four hotels with more than 565 rooms, while Umm al-Qaiwain hasareas of special scientific and historic interest.Fujairah, situated on the UAE’s East Coast, has a number of special attractions,including wonderful beaches. The first international hotel to open on the EastCoast in over two decades is award-winning Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resortwhich has been very successful in generating renewed interest in Fujairah andis a catalyst for further development of the sector. On weekends, the resort has100 per cent occupancy. Agreements were recently signed with local and foreigninvestors for the construction of a further five hotels in the same area.Future investments in tourist projects are likely to be significant, throughout theUAE. Abu Dhabi alone plans to spend at least Dh40 billion between 2005 and 2015.AGRICULTUREThe agriculture, fisheries and livestock sector contributed 2.6 per cent to GDPin 2004 with a value of Dh10.1 billion. The UAE exports dates to Japan, Indonesiaand Malaysia, while flowers are sent to other GCC countries, Lebanon, Australia,Britain and Japanese markets. Thousands of hectares of palm trees, woodlandsand green belts have been planted in the country. Date-palm cultivation plays akey role in turning large portions of the desert into green oases. Over 40 milliondate palms, of which 16 million line the roads, have been planted in the UAE.It is a surprising fact that a country known for its vast desert, exceptionally lowand unpredictable rainfall and, at times, searing heat, can also sustain a vibrantagricultural sector. Whilst the huge growth in food production since the early 1970shas been correctly attributed to the leadership, much of it by personal exampleof the late Sheikh Zayed, cultivation of a few key plants, raising of livestock andfishing have been essential survival skills of people living in this extremely aridregion for millennia. Small-scale farming based upon exploitation of undergroundwater resources began in desert oases and mountain valleys at least 5000 yearsago, but the lack of rainfall made large scale agriculture impossible. Today, Emiratisstill have a strong connection with the earth, whether that encompasses the sandsof the Empty Quarter or the isolated patches of fertile soil that form their oases.In the early days of Sheikh Zayed’s drive towards self-sufficiency in certain fooditems, agricultural advisers were discouraging and highly sceptical. But SheikhZayed, refusing to be discouraged, took a multi-pronged approach that would notaccept failure as an option. Water, of course, was at the core of this effort and heestablished a major programme of groundwater exploration as well as rehabilitationof ancient falaj irrigation and distribution channels. Later, he put money earnedfrom oil into building dams and desalination plants. But water was not all that ittook. The Ministry of Agriculture set about establishing experimental farms to testa wide range of crops and growing systems, and Emiratis were given land to createtheir own farms with substantial government assistance. When we look at themassive achievements of this sector it is important to understand that it has notcome about by chance, or without a serious effort by both government and people.Today, despite rapid population growth, the UAE is 100 per cent self-sufficientin dates and fish and grows 58 per cent of its vegetable needs. Meat and poultryproduction provide 31 per cent and 17 per cent respectively of requirements.The country produces 83 per cent of its daily consumption of fresh milk and 39per cent of national demand for eggs.Modern irrigation techniques and water from deep artesian aquifers and fromdesalination has made it possible for large areas to be cultivated. There are nowmore than 100,000 hectares of cultivated land, producing a range of crops, includingsalad vegetables, potatoes, fruit and fodder, as well as flowers, grown mainly forexport to Europe. In traditional mountain farms, production of tropical fruits likepapaya, citrus and tobacco continues. The Government supports agriculture throughpreparation of land for farms which are distributed free to citizens, and follows thisup with a free agricultural extension service. Farmers are also offered a guaranteedprice for produce and subsidised machinery and fertilisers.
166UNITED ARAB EMIRATES YEARBOOK 2006ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT167A healthy export market has been developed for many items that are grownin the country. To give an idea of the scale of production, emphasising just howfar this sector has travelled since the 1960s when Sheikh Zayed took spade tohand in an effort to galvanise his people into rescuing ancient falaj systemsaround Al Ain, we can look at recent figures from the Al Ain Department ofAgriculture and Livestock (AADAL), now part of the Department of Municipalitiesand Agriculture. They recorded 12,000 farms in Al Ain, 1943 green houses and29,990 operating wells. These farms employed 2608 workers including 623nationals, 529 Arabs and 1456 other nationalities. They exported 63,390 tonnesof vegetables worth Dh126,893 in 2004 following an increase in the crop areathrough drip irrigation to 450.72 hectares. AADAL also recorded exports of 843.77tonnes of rodos fodder from its five projects – Al Dhahra, Al Kerayyah, Al Arad,Al Oja and Wahat Al Sahraa – to various GCC destinations. Meanwhile, the Al AinDepartment of Municipalities and Agriculture (ADMA) distributed cheques worthDh262.53 million to local date producers for the 32,281 tonnes of dates that itprocured during 2004. AADAL also established 16 veterinary clinics, in additionto mobile clinics in remote areas, and opened an abattoir in Al Khazna area.New methods of agriculture are constantly under review in the Emirates. The UAEis especially interested in new agricultural techniques that can boost yields withoutadversely affecting the environment and human health. Organic agriculture, asubject of growing interest worldwide, is being encouraged. In line with efforts tobolster availability of pesticide-free crops, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisherieshas encouraged the use of organic fertilisers and over 32,000 tonnes has beendistributed to local farmers in the last three years. Also, the use of more than 80varieties of pesticides has been banned and biocontrol of pests such as the palmweevil is being developed.Education in agriculture has reached a high level in the UAE. The Universityof Sharjah recently launched a College of Agriculture, Food and EnvironmentSciences in conjunction with the University of Arizona, USA. The final decision togo ahead with the college was made after months of research to determine whetherthere would be a strong market for graduates wishing to study plant, animal andfood production under UAE conditions. The University of Arizona was selectedbecause of its well-earned reputation in the States, the distinction it enjoys inthe field of desert farming and the similarities in climatic conditions betweenArizona and the UAE. The College of Agriculture, Foods and Environment willaward BSc degrees across three areas including botany, zoology and agriculturalprojects management. Bio-technology will be a fundamental component of thestudy, which will also focus on more practical skills. Students will thus gaintheoretical and practical skills needed to enable them to participate in productionand development plans in the country.Formal research into agricultural matters is carried out by a number of bodies,both national and international. The EAD (formerly known as ERWDA) and theInternational Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) recently agreed to carry outa comprehensive soil survey of Abu Dhabi Emirate. A high priority is beinggiven to the development of a Soil Master Plan, delineating arable lands as wellidentifying other substrates. The ultimate goal of the soil survey is to ensure thatland-use in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is sustainable. Identification of thedifferent land uses will be jointly determined by a technical committee whichincludes the members from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, theMunicipalities and Agriculture Department, UAE University, the Planning andEconomic Department, and ADNOC. The project will be completed in twophases. In the first phase, soils will be surveyed at the emirate level at a scaleof 1:100,000 using soil survey norms and standards of the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service to generate,soil, thematic, suitability, salinity, and current land-use maps. From the resultsof this phase, areas with the highest potential for irrigated agriculture expansionin the emirate will be identified. In phase two, these areas will be surveyed atscale of 1:25,000. A Soil Information System will be designed for the storage,processing, retrieval and management of soil-related information. The soilsurvey information will be used by various groups of users, for example, theagricultural farming community, land-use planners, officials, decision makers,engineers, and environmental impact assessors, to select sites for specific uses.Conservationists and specialists in recreation, wildlife management, wastedisposal, and pollution control will also use the soil information to help themunderstand, protect, and enhance the environment.Over the course of the last year, however, increasing attention has also been paidto the impact of water extraction for irrigation on the subterranean aquifers, aswell as to the economic sustainability of the whole afforestation and agricultureprogramme. Several hundred water wells in Abu Dhabi were shut-in during theyear, with water supplies being replaced from desalinated water, while the viabilityof large scale fodder production is also being re-assessed. The objective is to ensurethat while the planting programme continues, it is done only where it can bejustified on economic and environmental grounds.In April 2005 the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was honoured by theUnited Nations as a ‘Champion of the Earth’ for his commitment to the protectionand conservation of the environment and endangered wildlife. It was an accoladethat was deeply appreciated by Sheikh Zayed’s immediate family and by the UAEGovernment and people, for it encapsulated one of the guiding mission’s of SheikhZayed’s life and celebrated his success in achieving many difficult goals in thefields of agriculture and environment.
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