UAE Minister Of State For Food Security To Visit India

A new frontier of cooperation between the UAE and India will open on Wednesday when Mariam Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, the UAE Minister of State for Food Security, arrives in New Delhi on a two-day visit

New Delhi,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 26th Mar, 2019) – A new frontier of cooperation between the UAE and India will open on Wednesday when Mariam Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, the UAE Minister of State for Food Security, arrives in New Delhi on a two-day visit.

She will have detailed talks with Suresh Prabhu, India’s Minister for Commerce and Industry, on Wednesday evening. Her other major state-to-state engagement will be with Pushpa Subrahmanyam, the Secretary in the Indian Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

The UAE’s drive to be among the top ten in the global ranking for food security by 2021has attracted India’s attention ever since leaders of the two countries made the all-round expansion of their bilateral relations a priority. The invitation to the UAE minister stems from this interest within India.

India has no counterpart ministry to the UAE’s state infrastructure for food security and is, therefore, keen to learn especially about the UAE’s widely acclaimed National Food Security Strategy 2051.

The Indian government has, however, recently launched microenterprise development to address its food security challenges and to bring basic services to the rural poor.

With the growth in India’s population and economy, demand for critical food security infrastructure is rapidly rising.

It is estimated that one trillion US Dollars will be needed to meet India’s infrastructure needs in this sector in the next five years, according to the World Bank. India believes the UAE can play a major role in this matter.

Al Mehairi will have a meeting with the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, IFFCO, an amalgamation of over 36,000 Indian cooperatives with diversified business interests in food and agriculture. She will also visit a premier research institution in Delhi, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, IARI.

Al Mehairi’s other engagements include a visit to a food production facility in Haryana state. She will conclude her visit on Thursday night with an interaction with agro and food processing industry representatives in the Confederation of Indian Industry, CII, India’s leading organization representing industry.