His Excellency Sultan Alwan, Assistant Undersecretary of the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, and Philippe Peguilhan, Country Manager of Carrefour UAE at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, signed the agreement.

Under the terms of the MoU, Majid Al Futtaim Retail handpicks local suppliers for its Carrefour stores following stringent safety and hygiene audits, particularly for those producing food commodities. The company also reviews the businesses of its suppliers every six months and organizes training to raise their awareness of the market needs.

His Excellency Sultan Alwan said: “Creating markets for locally grown food products motivates UAE farmers to contribute to enhancing the food supply through engaging in commercial agriculture and embracing modern cultivation practices. This is crucial to ensuring long-term food security in the UAE.”

He added: “The MoU with Majid Al Futtaim Retail reaffirms the key role of the private sector in sustaining local agricultural production. The continued partnership is part of our ongoing efforts to develop the field, in addition to training local farmers on the latest cultivation techniques and providing them with agricultural input subsidies.”

Philippe Peguilhan commented: “We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment for the third year consecutively as part of our ongoing efforts to support the agricultural industry in the UAE. We want local farmers to know, that if they’ll grow it, we’ll buy it, benefiting not only the environment but our customers who increasingly wish to lead farm-to-table lifestyles.”