DUBAI: The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) convened a virtual meeting with UAE farmers to discuss the objectives of the newly established 'National Agriculture Centre' as part of the 'Plant the Emirates' National Programme. The Centre aims to bolster local agricultural production and enhance sustainable food security in the UAE. According to Emirates News Agency, the meeting was led by Dr. Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Food Diversity Sector at MOCCAE, and included several ministry officials and a large group of Emirati farmers. The Centre is designed to serve as an innovative platform addressing agricultural challenges and providing support to national farmers. Dr. Al Hammadi highlighted the Centre's objectives, which include increasing productive farms by 20 percent, boosting organic farming by 25 percent, achieving 30 percent climate-smart farming adoption, and reducing agricultural waste by 50 percent. The Centre will offer grants and funding for innova tive projects, promoting technology and modern farming methods. Furthermore, the Centre will support organic farming, offer training programmes, and provide technical advisory services to enhance farmers' projects and marketability of their products. It will also promote applied research to improve efficiency and quality in the agricultural sector and establish partnerships with various industries to boost the competitiveness of local goods. The meeting also explored how farmers can utilize the Centre's initiatives to create new opportunities and enhance market competitiveness. Participants expressed optimism about the Centre's potential to raise awareness of local products and readiness to adopt advanced agricultural systems.