Her Excellency Mariam Al Mheiri will open the briefing, which will discuss how government leaders, investors, technology companies, food brands and farm operators can collaborate to establish an effective agri-food innovation ecosystem and a food-secure future in the GCC.
The inaugural Middle East Agri-Food Briefing will bring together business and innovation leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman to reveal how new investments and partnerships are transforming domestic food supplies, diversifying local economies, and attracting new companies to the region from start-ups to scale-ups.
Commenting on the opportunity for the region, HE Mariam Al Mheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food and Water Security, said: “When it comes to food and water security, the Emirates has set plans for the long term. All of our efforts, activities, and programmes are guided by the National Food Security Strategy 2051, which has outlined an ambitious roadmap for the sector to diversify our food sources. We are working to develop a comprehensive national system that enables sustainable food production by embracing and investing in global innovation – and that is where Agritech takes centre stage.”
“As a country with an arid climate, a booming young population and a dynamic economy, the Emirates knows that relying on traditional food systems is not a viable option, we must innovate and create new systems that work for us,” Al Mheiri added. “With that in mind, we have broken ground on several key projects that will help ensure our food security well into the future. We have set up sustainable initiatives in desert areas, such as vertical farms, greenhouses, and aquaculture facilities.”
“There is a wave of innovation taking place in the Agritech sector,” Al Mheiri asserted. “We are seeing exciting new technologies make their debut in the industry, opening up promising opportunities for investment. With decision makers, innovators, and ambitious investors from the agriculture and food production sector coming together, the Middle East Agri-Food Briefing is the ideal platform to explore these new technologies and approaches, outline the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead, and work together to chart a roadmap for the future of the industry. The world has made great strides in Agritech, but we feel the best is truly yet to come.”
Packed with case studies, insights and shared determination to accelerate the region’s innovation ecosystem, the Middle East Agri-Food Briefing boasts a powerful line up of distinguished regional and international speakers including:
- Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder & CEO, KBW VENTURES, SAUDI ARABIA
- Reem Al Fulaij, Director General, PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR FOOD & NUTRITION (PAFN), KUWAIT
- Amine Jalal, Chief Strategy & Investment Development Officer, QATAR FREE ZONES AUTHORITY, QATAR
- Saleh Al Shanfari, CEO, OMAN FOOD INVESTMENT HOLDING COMPANY, OMAN
- Sonia Weymuller, Founding Partner, VENTURESOUQ, UAE
- Sky Kurtz, CEO, Pure Harvest, UAE
The virtual format will maximise opportunities for agri-food businesses across the region and around the world to join in these critical discussions, via speaker Q&A, live audience chat and audience polls, plus video networking and connections with other attendees, with session recordings available to rewatch on demand.
The briefing is the first event in a full week of agri-food summits hosted by Rethink Events, with the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit (September 28-29) and Future Food-Tech (September 30-October 1).
