A national programme to boost domestic wheat production is making strides in the right direction, said Humaid Al Zaabi, the head of Emirates Wheat.
Mr Al Zaabi told state news agency Wam that the future of wheat cultivation in the UAE is promising and that the initiative wanted more farmers to support efforts to achieve food security.
About 170 farms are now taking part in the initiative, which was launched in 2017, and production reached 80 tonnes of wheat last year.
The UAE imported wheat worth Dh1.3 billion last year, Ministry of Economy data shows.
The Emirates has large areas suitable for agriculture, with the availability of modern irrigation and organic fertilisers, Mr Al Zaabi said.
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Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
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