The Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre has worked on its production plan for the 2015-2016 season today, which will start at the end of July 2015, with harvesting due to begin in November.
During the season, 40 products will be grown and four additional crops will be added compared to the previous season. Farmers in Abu Dhabi will supply an estimated 31,050 tons of class one produce during the harvest season.
To achieve this increase, the plan calls for an area 6526 acres, which will be divided into 4635 acres for open field crops, and 1,891 acres for greenhouse crops - equivalent to around 5,670 individual greenhouses.
The production period lasts for 34 weeks, including 15 weeks of peak season where up to 1300 tons will be harvested per week.
Ten key crops represent approximately 77% of the total expected production, while cucumbers alone constitute around 41% of the total expected production followed by round tomatoes (16.6%), eggplant (4.7%), and sweet peppers (4.4%). This season will also focus on cultivating crops such as cabbage, potatoes, and coloured pepper.
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ADFSC will share more details with farmers in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, where cropping schedules, crop types, production forecasts, and financial returns will be discussed. Farmers will also be given the opportunity to register their interest in supplying vegetables to local markets through outlets offered to them by ADFSC.
"We are keen to develop an annual production plan in order to achieve sustainability in the agriculture sector and support food security in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The plan takes into consideration production and harvesting time in addition to studying the situation of the market and the processes of supply and demand for products that can be grown in local soil," said Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre managing director H.H. Khalifa Al Ali.
“ADFSC also conducts market surveys and consumer analysis and then designs the production plan to reflect their needs, thus achieving a double benefit by gaining consumer satisfaction and achieving the highest possible return for farmers.”
In addition, ADFSC offers farmers a "minimum price guarantee" (MPG) to protect them from price fluctuations in the market and securing a minimum guaranteed income.
“When the final market price (FMP) is lower than the MGP, ADFSC will pay the MGP that is higher; however, ADFSC takes a commission estimated at 15% to cover all costs only when the FMP is higher than the MGP,” concluded Al Ali.
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