Environment ministry inspects organic farms

By PMA RASHEED 

15 March 2011, The Gulf Today

THE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) carried out a nationwide inspection visits, since the beginning of this year, at a total of 51 farms, which includes organic farms and agricultural lands that are currently being transformed to organic farms.

The inspections aimed at monitoring the actual cultivated space at these sites, the quantity of production for each crop, and compliance to the requirements for organic agricultural practices, a spokesperson of the ministry said.

According to him, the ministry’s efforts are towards making the standards for organic farming in the UAE comparable to other developed countries in the world.

The federal Law No.5 of 2009 regarding organic products outlines strict guidelines on the production of organic food in the UAE to encourage the local agricultural sector and boost the stocks of locally grown fresh produces.

Specialists at the environment ministry certify organic farms, after thoroughly testing the soil quality at their premises at three different levels, including ground level, 60cm depth and 120cm depth. The crop samples were also tested during three different stages of growth to pick up any traces of chemicals.

“The technical team of the MoEW collected samples of soil, water and fruits for detailed analysis at the MoEW’s central lab.  The inspectors provided a number of solutions to farmers and owners of the organic farms, including a list of organic fertilisers and organic pesticides available in the market. The farmers also were educated on the pest control and mechanism to prevent diseases that might affect the crops. The authority will also issue scientific guides to the farmers on the practices and fertilisation procedures at the organic farms," said the MoEW official.

“The ministry targets production of higher volume of organic foods to raise the level of food security and standards of food safety in the country. The organic agriculture practices should be ensured of adherence to the regulations in different stages of production and their distribution,” he noted.

“The MoEW has scheduled periodic follow-up visits, after issuing certificates based on the verification of the farming and irrigation methods, organic fertilisation, processing of the lands for the planting season, cleanliness, and inspection of storing facilities.”

According to a 2010 statistics, the UAE had 13 organic farms with 23 more being developed before the end of 2011. The first farm to be certified was in Sharjah in 2005, which produced organic vegetables and dates.
The MoEW had planned to develop 3,000 hectares of dedicated organic farming agricultural land, even though the production process might face hindrances due to the arid desert climate.

The organic food produces are of higher quality, safer for human consumption, and free from residues of pesticides and all forms of pollutants. Such farming system permanently maintains the fertility of the soil in the long run.

The MoEW insists on the organic farms that they must be free from sewage or treated sewage water and should be located far from chemical plants, cement factories and highways or air polluted areas.

“Mineral fertilisers and chemical pesticides, and potassium nitrate or sodium are not permitted for use in the organic agricultural system. The organic pesticides are natural and biological resistant products that prevent insects or fungus,” said a statement from the MoEW.

“The use of hormones and growth regulators such urea, nitrate, sulfate, ammonia, ammonium nitrate, sulfate, potassium, magnesium and phosphate also should not be used at these premises,” it said.

(Pix : Supplied)

S.Korean president visits Dubai this week

By PMA RASHEED 

12 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung-bak will visit Dubai this week to receive Zayed International Prize for Environment.

Organisers of the award said that Lee Myung-bak will receive the prize in Dubai from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai at a special Award Ceremony on Monday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Lee had been announced as the winner of the top award in the Zayed International Prize for global leadership in environment earlier this month for the year 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to implement “green growth” concept.

The “green growth” is a new paradigm for economic development that binds together environment protection and economic prosperity, creating new growth engines and jobs through green technology and clean energy.

“President Lee Myung-bak’s leadership was a central driver in transforming the Republic of Korea’s development path into a low carbon, resource efficient and green economy,” a spokesperson of the award committee said.

“The prize value of $1 million is divided into three categories with the top honour of $500,000 being awarded for Global leadership in environment, which is given to an individual or organisation with a clear impact on the international policy in protecting environment and achieving sustainable development,” he added. 

The jury decided that the achievements of the prize winners fulfil the objectives of the Zayed Prize in line with the philosophy of the late Sheikh Zayed.

'Go beyond the call of Earth Hour this year'

By PMA RASHEED 

9 March 2011, The Gulf Today

At 8.30pm on 26 March, lights will be switched off around the globe for the 2011 edition of Earth Hour, the world's largest environmental call for action on climate change.

A number of iconic landmarks in the UAE will also keep dimmed their lights between 8.30pm to 9.30pm on the Saturday to observe the annual lights out event, in solidarity with activities across the globe on a mission to raise awareness on keeping the earth sustainable.

But there's more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It's all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future, say environmental activists in the UAE.

Being an opportunity to make a difference for saving the earth every day, the hour unites hundreds of millions of people worldwide with a commitment to ongoing change for the betterment of the planet.

The Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS), in tandem with the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), will run a campaign to showcase a long-term commitment to evolve beyond switching off the lights for an hour.

This year, the activities will witness a growing global community committed to taking environmental actions on an elevated level with people being asked to commit to an action, big or small, that they will sustain the future of the planet.

The WWF has launched a "Beyond the Hour" programme, urging residents of the seven emirates to express their commitment to Earth Hour by demonstrating action for the environment and sharing messages with the rest of the community.

"People are encouraged to upload photographs of sustainable lifestyle themes at www.ewswwf.ae/earthhour in solidarity with the celebration," indicated a WWF spokesperson, "The UAE's "Green Sheikh" Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi and other prominent personalities have already uploaded pictures on the web portal. Hosts of photographs from people committing to environmental change can be viewed at the site."

Ida Tillisch, acting director general of EWS-WWF, said, that the "Going beyond the hour" programme calls for daily actions that incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into one's lifestyle, and into the corporate sector.

"More governmental policies should be developed for the conservation of environment and regulations for effective energy saving in the country. Together we can achieve the meaningful emission reduction necessary to fight climate change," Tillisch opined.

"The EWS-WWF programme will give lessons to individuals on going beyond the hour with simple daily actions such as setting air-conditioners to 24 instead of 22 degrees, washing cars with a bucket instead of using a hose, and switching lights to high efficiency bulbs," she added.

"Meanwhile, commercial establishments and organisations are advised to empower an environmental team and all employees to translate the earth hour message into on-going initiatives that reduce water and electricity consumption at work," elaborated Tillisch.

"With a simple flick of the switch and click of the mouse, individuals and organisations will be sending a signal that they want solutions to the climate crisis and they will be taking action. The climate change is the most urgent and pressing issue facing the entire world and we need to unite everyone around meaningful action to tackle it," she noted.

"Collective action of individuals and organisations can truly make a difference in converting the planet a sustainable place for the generations ahead," remarked Andy Ridley, co-founder and executive director of Earth Hour.

"Everyone has the power to make change. A CEO can change an organisation, a 7-year-old can change a classroom, and a president can change a country. This initiative is just the beginning," she noted. 

The Earth Hour was launched in Sydney, Australia in 2007, as two million people in one city switched off their lights and by 2010, over 128 countries participated, making it the largest voluntary action ever witnessed. 

Earth Hour Daily Environmental Tips

1- I keep my Air Conditioning set at 24 degrees and turn it off when I leave the house. It’s Cool!

2- I open my windows during the cool weather. Ahh Fresh Air! But, remember to close them when you leave the house in case a sandstorm appears.

3- I open the blinds and curtains to use natural light and turn off electric lights. It’s a bright idea, don’t you think?

4- I replaced all my light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, I use ¼ the energy and save on my energy bill, more money for new shoes

5- I unplug all appliances when not in use; did you know appliances suck a lot of energy, even when not in use?

6- I turn on the water heater 30 minutes before I take my shower; there is no need to heat water 24/7.

7- When I leave my apartment I switch off the lights, TV and air-conditioning.

8- I hang my clothes to dry. Why use a dryer when you have the sun?

9- I fill the cup not the kettle when boiling water.

10- I put my computer to sleep when I go for meetings or lunch.

11- I only wash when I have a full load.

12- I leave my car at home and jump on the metro.

13- I bought a really cool solar powered mobile phone charger.

14- I eat less meat to reduce my ecological footprint.

15- I eat left-overs and try never to waste my food!

16- We installed motion sensing lights in our office.

17- I refill my water bottle instead of taking another plastic bottle that I know won’t be recycled.

18- I’m turning off my lights for Earth Hour and anytime I do not need them.

19-     I use candle light at dinner and turn off the lights.

20- Bye Bye hose! I wash my car with a bucket. Did you know desalinated water is extremely energy intensive?

21- My colleagues probably think I’m a geek, but I always ask that the last person to leave turns off all lights in the office.

22- My garden is watered at night, during the day most of it evaporates anyway.

23- I buy energy efficient appliances for my house.

24- My social gatherings are arranged outside when the weather is nice. My guests love picnics on the beach or in the park.

25- I unplug the computer when it is fully charged, it saves energy and it is good for the computer too.

26- I re-use stuff.

27- I cook with lids on the pans; it uses less energy and still tastes yummy.

28- My wardrobe is filled with sustainable fashion.

29- I use a broom when cleaning my driveway and patio instead of a hose. Its good exercise and wastes less.

(Pic Supplied) 

Lankans from Libya go home

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 8 March 2011

ABOUT 138 stranded Sri Lankan expatriates from troubled Libya arrived in Dubai International Airport a couple of days ago in a special chartered flight, were taken to Colombo on Monday by the Sri Lankan Government and their missions in the UAE. 

The Sri Lankan professionals, labourers and their families living in Libya were stranded in Tripoli for days. The government adopted prompt measures to evacuate them from the tumultuous land immediately via Dubai, a spokesperson of the Sri Lankan Consulate told The Gulf Today.

Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai MM Abdul Raheem said that the Sri Lankan expatriates, who were living and working in Libya, arrived in Dubai by a charter flight on March 5, and sent back to Sri Lanka on Monday.

“They will be received by the officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo,” he added.

“The Sri Lanka Embassy in Libya and the Ministry of External Affairs coordinated with Sri Lankan missions in the UAE for the safe return of these Sri Lankans via Dubai to reach their motherland,” Raheem noted.

“Officials from the Consulate General of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Airlines in Dubai met the visiting Sri Lankans at the Dubai Airport and facilitated their smooth transit to Colombo,” he said.

“Previously another batch of 54 and 35 Sri Lankans, who fled from Libya and went to Malta and Greece, arrived in Dubai airport and the officials of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai assisted them for their early return to Colombo,” he elaborated.

According to Raheem, the Sri Lankan Missions in the UAE and Libya will be in contact with their capital to expedite further evacuation of Sri Lankans affected by the Libyan crisis.

‘Food prices may increase at 10% this year’

By PMA RASHEED 

1 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The prices of food items in the UAE might further shoot up this year at an estimated rate of 10 per cent, if necessary strategic measures and policies haven’t been implemented on a strong platform to ensure food security and sufficient stocks in the market, warns a top player in the industry.

The food sector in the Gulf region is facing extremely critical challenges in terms of escalating prices, coupled with the mounting issues on food security and availability of sufficient foodstuff stocks, chairman of Al Ghurair Foods Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair said.
“Prices of grains have been constantly affected by the mounting prices of crude oil in the international markets. The food shortage indications should inspire governments to implement strategic measures to ensure food security,” he added.
“We can expect a better crop harvest season this year to boost our food storage and ensure the food security, unless there’s a drought as happened in Russia last year or the heavy rains flooded the Australia fields,” he added.
While talking on the sidelines of Gulfood 2011, the boss of Al Ghurair Foods expressed his concerns over the political implications for the shortage of food stock and increase in prices.
“We have been implementing numerous projects by enhancing its capacity to ensure sufficient food security in the UAE and the region, in addition to encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle within the region,” he elaborated.
The region’s giant player in the food sector also has recently reopened its canola crushing plant in Jebel Ali, the largest of its seed crushing unit in the Mena region. The present product portfolio of Al Ghurair Foods includes flour, edible oils, pasta, grains, oats and poultry.
Essa indicated, “The facility will increase the group’s production capacity of canola oil up to 4,500 tonnes daily, which was 3,000 tonnes earlier, in addition to a soya crushing capacity of 2000 tonnes.”
“A new wheat storage facility is being developed by Al Ghurair Foods, the region’s pioneer player in the food sector, in tandem with the government of the UAE,” he said.
“The massive storage facility will be unveiled within a couple of years. Al Ghurair’s 300,000-tonne-capacity silos have been allotted to the government’s strategic food reserves until the project is finished,” Essa added.
“The group has plans to widen its GCC reach and expand operations to more Middle Eastern and North African countries. In the near future, we plan to venture out with more projects in Saudi Arabia, by establishing plants capable of crushing 4000 tonnes of Soya bean and 3000 tonnes of canola per day.”
“Other projects in pipeline include launching of a new product and expansion programmes in the North African region. The new wheat silo in Algeria has a storage capacity of 140,000 tonnes. The project has already been commissioned and the loading and unloading of ships will begin very shortly.”

Al Ghurair Foods, the only private sector food manufacturer in the UAE, shares about 35 per cent of the UAE’s flour market and 20 per cent of the animal feed products.

45,000 residents to join ‘Yalla Walk’ in Dubai

By PMA RASHEED 

28 Feb 2011, Th Gulf Today

DUBAI’S public walking tracks will receive over 45,000 residents, as part of the Emirate’s largest health awareness campaign, ‘Yalla Walk,’ which will run between March 5 and 19.
Dubai Municipality (DM) has developed 23 walking tracks at different public parks across the Emirate, and the Yalla Walk campaign will introduce these tracks to the general public, according to DM officials.

Announcing the campaign on Sunday, the DM’s Director General Hussein Nasser Lootah said the programme would raise awareness among people on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“The Yalla Walk campaign will be launched at Safa Park on March 5 at 5pm, followed by activities on Sunday at Al Mamzar Park, Al Khawaneej Walking Track, Zabeel Park and Al Barsha Park. The closing ceremony of Yalla Walk will be at Al Mamzar Park on March 19 at 5pm,” Lootah added.
A DM spokesperson said the registration process for the campaign would be from March 1-6. Residents can also register through the special web portal, www.yallawalk.ae. Participants will be provided with a coding number through e-mail, upon registering online.
“The registration number must be printed on the badge to get entry to the contest. People can also register directly or the parks or at Fitness First branches. The participants will be provided with a badge, in addition to a wristband containing a barcode. The barcode must be scanned on the device, provided at the beginning of each track, and the badge should be swiped on the device again when a participant has completed the walk,” he elaborated.
“This is for calculating electronically the distance walked by each participant, who can also visit the website and access the page devoted to him to get all the details and distances. The campaign will also include medical examinations and various events for children,” added the DM official.
Lootah noted that the civic body set up walking tracks in various areas in order to enhance community health supporting tools in the Emirate. The walking tracks will positively change behaviour, thinking and lifestyle of thousands of residents from different nations and at different ages, he pointed out.

According to him, the walking tracks project is one of the most important and vital projects in the Dubai. “The DM does not target a particular age group or specific segment of the society through this campaign. The focus is on the promotion of the walking tracks for people from all walks of life,” he added.

“The Municipality also has kept numerous gift hampers and prizes in store for residents to attract them to the walking tracks, where various activities and contests will be conducted during the campaign period,” he concluded.

DM Healthcare to open third speciality hospital this year

By PMA RASHEED

27 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

The DM Healthcare group, one of the region’s major healthcare service providers, will open a specialised surgery hospital in Dubai by the end of this year.

Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman of the DM Group, said that the group’s third hospital will specialising in advanced ortho, neuro and spinal surgical procedures will be first of its kind health facility in the UAE

“The Medcare Speciality Hospital, which is presently under construction close to the Sheikh Zayed road, will have innovative surgical specialities with a cluster of advanced operational theatres,” said Dr Moopen.

“The hospital will handle cases of hip or arthroscopic surgeries with the most advanced procedures that will enable patients to leave the hospital within one day,” he indicated.

Dr Moopen was speaking on the occasion of launching its new corporate headquarters in a strategic location in the heart of new Dubai on Thurday.

Indian ambassador to India M K Lokesh inaugurated the integrated corporate headquarters at Executive Towers on Business Bay near Burj Khalifa in the presence of Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India in Dubai.

“The new headquarters will consolidate all senior level non-medical professionals under one roof. Hundreds of healthcare establishments and facilities of the DM Healthcare service network will have a unified management and operational platform with the unveiling of the new strategic headquarters,” elaborated Dr Moopen.

He added that the DM Healthcare group is in the midst of expansion in the GCC and India with the number of units set to grow to 300 by the year 2015.

Currently, the network consists of 118 establishments, providing primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare with management and consultancy service. “The headquarters will function with seamless connectivity with its administration offices, hospitals, clinics diagnostic and pharmacy verticals which are recently consolidated under a single brand Aster,” noted Dr Moopen.

Speaking about the DM group’s expansion plans in other GCC countries, Dr Moopen said: “Our next major plan is happening in Saudi Arabia with a chain of projects for tens of health facilities, including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies under the ASTER and Medcare brands.”

“An estimated Dhs300 million will be invested in the KSA in the next three years, in partnership with local Rashid Al Rashid Group,” he added.