Honoring 55 winners of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence in its third session

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Court, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority

Under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Court, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, the Higher Organizing Committee of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence honored 55 winners in its third session, which was held under the slogan “Innovative Farmer and Breeder with a Sustainable Vision.”

Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment

The honoring ceremony, which was held at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, was attended by Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development - Abu Dhabi, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, His Excellency Dr. Tariq Al Ameri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, and Her Excellency Moza Suhail Al Muhairi, Chairperson of the Higher Organizing Committee of the Award, along with a number of senior officials and personalities, media representatives, and influencers.

In her speech during the ceremony, Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dhaheri expressed her deep thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” for his continuous support for the agricultural sector, and his belief in the importance of this sector in achieving sustainable development and enhancing food security.

She appreciated the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the award, his unlimited support for agriculture and sustainability, and his constant encouragement of farmers and breeders to excel and innovate.

Her Excellency said: “Today, we celebrate the honoring of the winners of this award, which embodies an ambitious vision to support and motivate farmers, livestock breeders and commercial farms to adopt the best agricultural practices and the latest technologies.”

She added that the third session witnessed a significant development in the number and quality of entries, as more than 451 participants competed in various categories, in addition to wide participation in the accompanying festivals and competitions that attracted thousands of visitors and those interested in agriculture and sustainability.

She said: The award is not just a platform for honoring, but rather represents part of a comprehensive national strategic vision aimed at enhancing food security and agricultural sustainability, in line with the National Food Security Strategy 2051 and the UAE Climate Neutrality Strategy 2050.

She stressed the importance of stimulating innovation and attracting young people to the agricultural sector, praising the prominent role played by farmers and innovators in achieving national goals in the areas of environment, sustainability, rationalizing water resource consumption, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing biodiversity.

At the end of her speech, Her Excellency congratulated all the winners of this session, stressing to the participants who were not lucky that merely participating in this award is an achievement in itself and a step towards more success and excellence in the future, praising the entities supporting the award, most notably the Presidential Court, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, and everyone who contributed to consolidating its position.

For her part, Her Excellency Moza Suhail Al Muhairi stressed that the award has become a leading national platform to honor distinguished individuals in the agricultural sector and encourage them to be creative and innovative, noting that the third session witnessed an unprecedented turnout with the participation of 451 contestants in 4 main categories and 13 sub-categories.

She added that this session was distinguished by the diversity and quality of participation, as it underwent precise evaluation stages by specialized committees, including field visits to ensure the selection of winners according to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. Cash prizes worth AED 10 million were also allocated, confirming the support of the wise leadership for distinguished individuals in the agricultural sector, noting that the award, since its launch, has achieved great success, as it attracted 676 participants in its first and second sessions, and resulted in honoring 107 winners with total prizes amounting to AED 16.7 million, reflecting its positive impact in promoting agricultural excellence.

Her Excellency stressed that the Higher Organizing Committee of the Award will work to promote the winners and highlight their achievements, with the aim of transferring knowledge and exchanging experiences on the best practices and modern agricultural methods that contribute to achieving agricultural sustainability and enhancing food security at the local and regional levels. The Award will also continue its pioneering role in stimulating innovation and excellence in the fields of plant and animal agriculture, which enhances the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and supports the achievement of sustainable economic development. In addition, the Award will seek to enhance cooperation between farmers, researchers and those interested in the agricultural sector, by organizing scientific workshops and seminars aimed at spreading awareness of the importance of modern technology in agriculture.

At the end of the ceremony, the winners were honored according to the following categories:

Best Open Field Farm Category.

Faisal Salem Al Nuaimi won first place.

Majid Muhair Al Ketbi won second place.

Salem Issa Al Mazrouei won third place.

Best Greenhouse Farm Category.

Saeed Muhair Al Ketbi won first place.

Khamis Mattar Al Mansouri won second place.

Hamed Ahmed Al Hamed won third place.

Hareb Mohammed Al Hamli won fourth place.

Khamis Obaid Hamrain Al Dhaheri won fifth place.

Best Fruit Production Farm Category.

Mohammed Shamal Al Maamari won first place.

Khalfan Hamid Al Mutaiwee won second place.

Rashed Abdullah Al Marar won third place.

Shalwih Mattar Al Mansouri won fourth place.

Hadef Mohammed Al Khaili won fifth place.

Best Organic Farm Category.

Sultan Saeed Al Shamsi won first place.

Hilal Khamis Al Marikhi won second place.

Salah Salem Al Shamsi won third place.

Issa Mohammed Al Daboos won fourth place.

Productive Farms Category.

Raya Salem Ali Al Lamki won first place.

Ghanem Sultan Al Suwaidi won second place.

Wael Sakhr Ali Al Musabi won third place.

Salmeen Faraj Al Kathiri won fourth place.

Noura Khalifa Saeed Al Jabri won fifth place.

Support for Emerging Agricultural Projects Category.

The National Fish Farm won first place in the Small Producers Category.

Marah Al Naifat Sheep Farm won second place.

Al Mutadarat Sheep Farm won third place.

Marhab Sheep Farm won fourth place.

Ali Al Kaabi Sheep Farm won fifth place.

Best Honey Bee Breeder Category.

Mohammed Hadef Mohammed Al Nuaimi won first place.

Mohammed Hassan Ali Al Zaabi won second place.

Badr Butti Salem Al Shamsi won third place.

Khalifa Saif Darwish Al Ketbi won fourth place.

Amal Abdullah Ahmed Al Hammadi won fifth place.

Aquaculture category.

Gulf Aqua Culture won first place.

Acre Oceanic won second place.

Capital Agro Farm for Agricultural Production won third place.

Agricultural Innovation, Plant and Animal Production category.

Sultan Mohammed Ghadir Al Mazrouei won first place.

Rashed Salim Rashid Al Ketbi won second place.

Mohammed Shuaib Al Hammadi won third place.

Yeslam Mubarak Ali Al Buraiki won fourth place.

Fahem Salem Jassim Al Nuaimi won fifth place.

Commercial Plant Farms category.

Armila Farms won first place.

Commercial Animal Production Farms category.

Emirates Bio Farm won first place.

Ruboo Ramah Cattle Establishment won second place.

Best Distinguished Farm category.

Qamasha Saif Al Mazrouei won first place.

Maryam Khadem Al Mazrouei won second place.

Salima Sultan Al Shamsi won third place.

Ruwaiya Salem Al Darei won fourth place.

Lamia Ali Al Saiqal won fifth place.

Best Distinguished Nanny.

Salma Salman Al Hanaei won first place.

Huda Mubarak Mohammed Al Balushi won second place.

Maryam Mohammed Rashid Al Muqbali won third place.

Maryam Mohammed Ghafan Al Jabri won fourth place.

Hadram Khamis Saeed won fifth place.

The partners of the third cycle of the award were also honored, namely the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, the Higher Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, in addition to the media partner Abu Dhabi Media Network, Emirates News Agency (WAM), as well as ADNEC Group, Emirates Poultry Breeders Association, and Lulu International Group.