(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
ABU DHABI, 21st November, 2018 (WAM) -- The Councils Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, in cooperation with the Food Security Centre, organised a lecture, titled, "Food Security is a Community Responsibility."
The lecture was held at the Al Bateen Council and was attended by Jabr Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Court, several officials and members of the public.
The lecture was delivered by Khalifa Ahmed Al Ali, Director-General of the Centre, who highlighted the three required elements for achieving food security, which are ensuring adequate and sustainable strategic food commodities, guaranteeing access to food, and ensuring the sustainability of food supplies at all times and at affordable prices.
He added that since 2012, the centre has maintained and managed emergency food reserves, in cooperation with the private sector, to ensure the country's stability and self-sufficiency.
The government's strategic reserve identified nine strategic food categories, whose required quantities were assessed based on population statistics, as well as the individual daily calorie requirements for both the average man and woman of 2,700 calories, he further added while stressing the centre studied the food behaviours of various segments of the community and analysed import and export data, as well as the shelf life and storage requirements of selected food commodities, and the supply chain standards for each commodity, from the country of origin to the consumer.
In his lecture, Al Ali also discussed alternative national service while highlighting the centre's role in training alternative national service recruits to work in vital food facilities, and noting that according to Resolution No.35 for 2016, which was issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the centre was added to a list of authorities whose recruits perform alternative service, and the number of its recruits reached 550 during the Year of Zayed 2018.
The programme also witnessed significant developments since its first edition in 2017, and the centre aims to train 5,000 UAE nationals over the next ten years to operate vital food facilities in times of emergencies and crises, he said in conclusion.
WAM/Hassan Bashir/Tariq alfaham
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