Within the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to enhance food diversity and ensure its sustainability and the sustainability of environmental systems, and in order to achieve the sustainability of food supply chains and encourage innovative research, the Ministry, in cooperation with the Department of Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in the Republic of South Korea, and the University of the Emirates, scored a great success Preliminary experiences of cultivating varieties of rice in the desert environment of the UAE under real field conditions.
The experiments of cultivating Emirati Korean rice in a desert environment are the first of its kind in the Middle East.
The Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zayoudi, stressed that achieving food sustainability, ensuring the continuity of supply chains and strengthening the research and innovative system in the country represents a group of the most important strategic goals of the ministry, so work is constantly being carried out to implement programs and projects that ensure the achievement of these goals in line with the goals The state, guidance and vision of its wise leadership, "noting that the project of experimenting with rice cultivation in the state environment comes within the ministry's pursuit of these strategic goals, and in strengthening international cooperation and benefiting from successful experiences and global research systems.
He said during an interview with Bloomberg News and TV news agency: "The pilot project, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East region, will achieve a set of important goals, foremost of which is strengthening the system of scientific research, innovation and applied experiences in the country, as it will provide a database that can be used Among them is the launching of many research and applied projects related to agriculture and food in the future, and students, researchers and specialists in these fields will benefit the country.
He pointed out during the interview that the project will contribute to enhancing the diversity of the crop basket that is produced domestically in the future. He pointed out that choosing rice to try to grow it in unusual conditions on this type of crop globally, at a time when many vegetables and fruit crops that are actually grown in The state has achieved large and highly efficient production, which is part of the ministry's endeavor to find a local system to grow one of the important strategic crops, indicating that the crisis the international community is going through due to the spread of the new Corona virus and what has caused it to stop or fluctuate in the supply chains of many goods and products, whether Food or health creating a necessity to secure an alternative domestic source to enhance the sustainability of supply chains.
The experiments carried out at the Ministry's Agricultural Innovation Center in the Dhaid region of the Emirate of Sharjah in cooperation between the Ministry and the South Korean Rural Development Department, are an extension of the cooperation agreements signed in 2018 with the visit of His Excellency Moon Jae In, President of South Korea to the UAE and his meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is part of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in February 2019 between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and in implementation of the state’s orientations in agricultural research and innovation.
According to the framework, the Korean side, in cooperation with the Emirati team, will determine and select the rice varieties that will be cultivated in the country, evaluate their agricultural and production characteristics and their ability to adapt to the atmosphere and nature of the country, determine the required irrigation and fertilization mechanism, and develop irrigation techniques, while the UAE side provides the facilities and sites Necessary for rice cultivation, the management of the field experimental system for cultivation in full, and field supervision and evaluation of the cultivation and germination process according to an agreed scientific methodology.
The Ministry, in cooperation with the Korean side, chose its Agricultural Innovation Center in Al Dhaid, to experiment with rice cultivation in the country, and in November 2019, initial seed experiments began on an area of 2200 square meters for cultivation with the open field system, and it was irrigated with a subsurface drip system that ensures increased water use efficiency as a stage First to try.
Before the implementation of the experiment, many tests were done for irrigation soil and water for the area chosen for cultivation to determine its correct nature and needs, as well as a study of different climatic factors to ensure the success of the agricultural experiment, and two varieties of rice were selected for agriculture, namely (Japonica and Indica), which proved the ability to withstand high temperatures And coexist with local soil conditions, this first pilot phase lasted until May 2020.
The area designated for experimental cultivation was divided into 3 regions to facilitate accurate monitoring, and in the first region the entire process of cultivation was successful and rice was harvested on May 5, and in the second region the intensive process required extensive monitoring and intervention due to the nature of the water in it, and the cultivation was successful and in Last May 10, the team harvested rice from the area. The initial results of the harvest showed distinguished results in terms of growth and productivity of the crop, and in cooperation with the Korean side, analysis and study of the agriculture and harvest data and the resources used in full are currently being conducted.
The rice varieties that were chosen to experiment with cultivation in the country are suitable for consumption and are traded commercially in many markets, but the Ministry has ensured its concern for public health and safety, and as a confirmation of the quality and efficiency of the experimental cultivation crop and its suitability for consumption, rice samples are currently being examined to test their conformity to standard specifications.
To confirm the success of the experimental cultivation of rice in the country and to ensure an integrated evaluation, the preliminary results are currently being studied to evaluate the research experiment and prepare for the launch of the new experimental stages during the coming period.
And based on the positive results of experimental cultivation of rice in the UAE, and in particular the experience of the Agricultural Innovation Station in Dhaid, a study of launching new experimental stages will be studied on wider areas, in different regions at the country level, with the development of irrigation and fertilization systems used, and experimenting with new varieties of rice to ensure To reach the best experimental results.
According to the South Korean Rural Development Administration team, the productivity per 1,000 square meters of the area to which experimental agriculture applies is 763 kg, indicating that the agricultural cycle takes approximately 160 days.
He pointed out that relying on advanced technologies and mechanisms in agriculture will further enhance reducing water consumption rates and increasing production capacity.