His Excellency Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, has honoured the winners of the second Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award during an award ceremony held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Agricultural Club, His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director General of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), His Excellency Dr Sheikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, and His Excellency Ali Mohammed Al Mansoori, Director General of Al Dhafra Municipality, as well as a number of senior officials.

The Higher Organising Committee of the award honoured 57 winners out of a total of 328 participants from different emirates who competed in the five main award categories, including 175 nominees in plant categories, 81 nominees in the animal category, 23 nominees in the agricultural innovation category, both plant and animal, 45 nominees in the distinguished female farmer and breeder category, and 4 nominees in the commercial farms category.

The Higher Organising Committee of the award will promote the winners' agricultural practices with the aim of transferring knowledge and exchanging expertise on best agricultural practices that enhance agricultural sustainability and food security in the UAE.

In a speech at the beginning of the ceremony, His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director General of ADAFSA, expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for his generous patronage of the agriculture sector and farmers, as part of His Highness' ambitious vision to achieve comprehensive development and enhance the welfare of citizens and residents. His Excellency stressed ADAFSA's commitment to follow the path of His Highness, and to continue working hard to achieve more achievements in the field of agriculture, and enhance the UAE's position at the international level.

His Excellency said that the second edition of the award witnessed a great turnout by the participants, with 1,000 participants participating in the main awards, associated festivals and competitions. The prizes allocated to the winners have been expanded to AED10 million, in addition to the inclusion of a new category in recognition of the best female farmer and breeder in the UAE, with the participation of 45 women.

His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director General of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, said: "We, at ADAFSA, are proud of the role played by the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award in encouraging innovation and excellence in the agricultural sector at the UAE level, and we affirm our permanent commitment to supporting and enhancing these efforts.

“We would also like to express our appreciation and thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, for his generous support and continuous sponsorship of this award and the agriculture sector in general. The wide participation in the award is a direct result of His Highness' wise directives to develop the agricultural infrastructure, encourage innovation and use modern technologies, as these blessed efforts have resulted in the prosperity of the agricultural sector, increasing productivity and diversifying agricultural products.

"Through this Award, we seek to consolidate it as an incentive to achieve sustainable agricultural development and encourage innovation and excellence at the state level, stressing that the wide participation in the award constitutes a strong motivation to develop it to become the first global Award in the field of sustainability and agricultural innovation.”

At the end of his speech, His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri congratulated the winners, and thanked them for their hard work, perseverance and dedication in serving the agricultural sector and improving the productivity and quality level, and expressed his thanks and appreciation to the sponsors of the award, foremost of which are the Presidential Court, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Higher Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Festival for their great support for the objectives of the award and their keenness on its development.

Her Excellency Dr Mariam Hareb Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Higher Committee of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award and Deputy Director General for Operational at Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, stressed the importance of the agricultural sector in achieving food security and promoting sustainable development.

Her Excellency pointed out that the second edition of the award received wide participation from various emirates of the country, which reflects the community's awareness of the importance of agriculture and its role in achieving sustainable development.

Her Excellency explained that the Organising Committee uses precise and objective criteria to evaluate entries, including sustainability, use of good agricultural practices and productivity. This includes assessing the quantity and quality of agricultural and animal production, as well as the efficiency of the use of resources such as water, energy and fertilisers. It also takes into account innovation, social responsibility and the assessment of farmers' and breeders' commitment to environmental standards, as well as contribution to the country's economic activities. She emphasised that these standards reflect the award's commitment to promoting excellence in the UAE agricultural sector.

At the end of her speech, Her Excellency congratulated all the winners, and praised their outstanding efforts that contribute to enriching the agricultural sector. She also thanked all the participants who were not winners for their keenness to participate in this important event, stressing the commitment of the organisers to continue working on developing the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, to become a global platform to celebrate innovation and creativity in agriculture.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, supporting partners of the award were honoured, including the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Supreme Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Festival, Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi. Additionally, recognition was extended to the Emirates News Agency, the media partner, and the Abu Dhabi Media Network for their role in promoting the award across multiple media platforms. The Lulu International Group and the Abu Dhabi Agricultural Club were acknowledged as supporting partners for the accompanying festivals.

Khamis Matar Balraqeet Al Mansouri secured the first place in the category of the best farm for open agriculture, while Abdul Rahman Rashid Saeed Al Shamsi claimed the second place. In the category of the best farm for greenhouse cultivation, the first place was awarded to Faisal Salem Al Khuraibani Al Nuaimi, and in the category of the best fruit production farm, Ali Salem Suleiman Al Dhanhani from the Emirate of Fujairah emerged as the winner. In the category of the best organic farm, Hassan Juma Hassan Al Zaabi clinched the first place, and in the category of the best productive animal farm, Saleh Abdul Rahim Abdullah Abdul Rahim Al Ali secured the top position. In the category of small-holder producers, Yousef Obaid Saeed Al Zaabi won the first place, and in the category of the best beekeeper category, Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi was awarded the first place.

For plant agricultural innovation, Amina Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani secured the first place, while the first place in the category of innovation in animal production was claimed by Ghanim Sultan Ahmed Al Suwaidi. In the category of commercial plant production farms, the first place was won by the Emirates Organic Farm, and in the category of commercial animal production farms, the first place was awarded to the Arab Poultry Company. Abdullah Mohammed Ali Al Mulla secured the first place in the competition for the best farm in aquatics. In the newly added category, Aisha Nasser Al Saadi was honoured with the Best Female Farmer Award in the Plant Section, while Raya Salem Ali Al Lamki secured the first place for the Best Female Animal Breeder Award.

The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award aims to stimulate agricultural innovation and encourage outstanding farmers and livestock breeders in the UAE, supporting food security and consolidating agricultural sustainability. It also supports the application of best global practices to improve the agricultural sector and ensure the sustainability of resources.