Under the patronage and presence of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), the authority has signed an agreement with LuLu Group, to supply "Local Harvest" products of Abu Dhabi farms. The agreement is part of ADAFSA's efforts to ensure the competitiveness of local products in markets and support the sustainability of the agriculture and food security sector.

On the sidelines of SIAL Middle East 2019, the agreement was signed by H.E. Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director-General of ADAFSA, and Mr. Yusuffali Musliam, Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Hypermarket Group.

According to the one-year agreement, which may be extended, ADAFSA shall supply the available Local Harvest's vegetables and fruits produced by Abu Dhabi farms throughout the farming season to Lulu Group, which is responsible for marketing these products  through its hypermarkets in the UAE, at fixed prices agreed by both parties.

ADAFSA has signed procurement contracts with over 600 farms in Abu Dhabi, which allows it to marketing these farms' produce in the local market under its brand "Local Harvest". These products are graded and packed according to the best international standards and in a way that highlights the advantages of local products as fresh and safe.

"We are proud to cooperate with our partners in the private sector to support local products and stimulate the economic activity in the emirate. Lulu Group is one of the largest retail chains backing the internal trade in the country. Through its extensive network of branches, the products of Abu Dhabi farms can access to markets and achieve high returns for farmers, while promoting "Local Harvest" brand upon which ADAFSA relies on to market local agricultural products." H.E. Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director-General of ADAFSA, said after the agreement ceremony

Committing to our strategy aimed at realizing sustainable agricultural sector and strengthening the food security system, ADAFSA is keen to increase farmers' income and improve returns from agriculture, by opening up marketing channels for local products and enhancing farmer's access to markets, Al Ameri added.

He affirmed ADAFSA's support for the development of the agriculture sector translates the Abu Dhabi Government's vision to achieve sustainable development and ensure the contribution of all sectors to the GDP. Al Ameri further noted that ADAFSA seeks to improve the agricultural practices and production quality according to the highest international standards, to meet consumers' expectations.
"ADAFSA is concerned with developing the supply chain from farm to fork. In addition to applying the best standards for grading, packing, and packaging agricultural products from vegetables and fruits, the authority is committed to improve pre-and postharvest operations, to ensure the quality of local products and provide markets and traders with high-quality varieties of vegetables and fruits, to raise the profile of the local product in markets and present it to consumers in an attractive way," Al Ameri said.

He indicated ADAFSA is marketing local agricultural products through its "Local Harvest" brand, which has become a source of pride for local agricultural production and a title of the quality of Abu Dhabi farms production.

"We are proud and honored to be able to support the local agriculture sector and farmers. Through this agreement, we will procure locally grown farm produce and distribute it to all our hypermarkets and supermarkets across the UAE at most affordable prices. We also intend to do special promotions and events to highlight the best quality of local produce and market them to the large diverse population of UAE.

Mr. Yussuf Ali Musliam, Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Hypermarket Group said "We have been the Exclusive retail Sponsor of SIAL ME from the very beginning and have continuously striving to promote local companies by sourcing our various food products from the leading companies here" added Yusuffali.