The pioneering Emirates Agriculture Conference & Exhibition of May 28-31, 2025 in Al Ain ended with visions of innovation and farmer empowerment.
Exhibitors gained momentum from the “Plant the Emirates” greening plan by the late UAE’s leader Sh. Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan.
Some 22 federal agencies, 40 private establishments and 20 startups attending the event had connections with the greening project. Its aim is to transform arable land in the desert country into a cradle of local-grown fresh produce.
Also steering the event were four campuses that came to share their expertise from the “Plant the Emirates” program.
Other attendees that included farmers and international delegates learned from agri-startups on the best practices, challenges and successes.
One such success is the northern emirate of Al Ain. The Minister of Climate Change & Environment, her excellency Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, cited the emirate as advanced in agricultural infrastructure.
Given the toll of climate on the scarce water resources, the minister identified universities as research agents for water conservation.
The UAE currently farms on the desert using sustainable water conservation means such as smart farming.
Other industrial farms produce crops with the lowest amount of energy possible and sell the extra energy as carbon credits.
Companies have also embraced vertical integration by growing, processing and distributing produce at competitive prices.
It is these holistic approaches that have helped the UAE expand its agricultural market value size to $3.6 billion, as of 2024, per Imarc Group.
Issues that the recent Emirates agriculture conference tackled such as improving local production and water management account for this market growth.
Additionally, the just concluded conference on a sector enjoying heavy governmental support has illuminated innovative areas for future growth. The statistics below continue the discourse by covering the Emirates agriculture at a glance.
United Arab Emirates Agriculture Statistics
The tables below, interpreted from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s STAT compress the food and agriculture sector of the UAE.
How has agricultural land use grown in the UAE historically?
| Key Year | Agricultural Land Use [Ha] |
| 1961 | 208,000 |
| 1989 | 239,000 |
| 1990 | 285,000 |
| 1998 | 398,000 |
| 2005 | 557,000 |
| 2022 | 391,500 |
What is the food import proportion of all other exports?
| Key Year Cluster | Total Food Imports as a Percentage of all Exports |
| 2020-22 | 4% |
| 2014-2018 | 5% |
| 2008-2011 | 5% |
| 2001-2007 | 4% |
| 2000-2002 | 3% |
How much is agriculture [food supply] per capita in the Arab Emirates?
| Key Year | Food/Agriculture Supply per capita |
| 2023 | 71 kilocalories per capita per day |
| 2021 | 18 kilocalories per capita per day |
| 2010 | 70 kilocalories per capita per day |
| 2006 | 87 kilocalories per capita per day |
| 2000 | 103 kilocalories per capita per day |
How is the yearly cereal production in the UAE?
| Key Year | Cereals Production [tonnes/Ha] |
| 2023 | 22.013 |
| 2022 | 23.8 |
| 1989 | 1.924 |
| 1980 | 2.409 |
| 1960-1975 | 0 |