Date palms make up 98% of fruit trees and rhodes fodder grass 94% of field crops

SCAD commended the full cooperation of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority in the provision of the data on which the report is based.

Plant Holdings:

As SCAD's bulletin reveals, there were 24.394 plant holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in 2011, marking an increase of 0.4% compared with 2010. The combined area of the Emirate's plant holdings totalled 752.839 donums, representing approximately 1% of the total area of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and an increase of 0.7% compared to 2010. The average area per holding is 31 donums.

According to SCAD, most of the agricultural holdings are located in Al Ain area, which is home to 11,985 agricultural holdings with a total area of 446.898 donums, representing 59% of the total area of agricultural holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. There were 8,572 holdings (210.458 donums) in Al Gharbia and 3.837 holdings (95.483 donums) in Abu Dhabi region, constituting 28% and 13% of the total area of agricultural holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, respectively.

Classification of plant holdings by area:

Holdings ranging in area between 20-29 donums account for the largest proportion (80%) of total holdings area in Abu Dhabi Emirate, followed by the category of holdings with a smaller area than 20 donums, which makes up 10% of total plant area and 1.3 of total holdings area in the Emirate.

The bulk (72%) of plant area in Al Ain region fell within the category of 30-39 donums, which also accounts for 43% of the aggregated area of plant holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, followed by holdings with an area in excess of 60 donums, the combined area of which constitutes 16% of the total number of the area of agricultural holdings in Al Ain region and 9.5% of the area of plant holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

In Al Gharbia, 47% of agricultural area the region and 13% of the total area of holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was found to fall within the area category of 40-49 donums, followed by the 20-39 donums category, which makes up 24% of the total area of plant holdings in Al Gharbai region and 7% of the total area of plant holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Land use for plant holdings

SCAD's report also classifies plant holdings by the type land use, which gives the actual cultivable areas of holdings and their distribution by use as per the internationally recommended classifications.

Fruit trees

The report reveals that out of 752,839 donums representing the total area of plant holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, 39% was cultivated with fruit trees, of which date palm made 98% and other types fruit trees the remaining 2%. This reflects the importance of dates as a food crop and the favourable conditions prevailing in the Emirate for date palm cultivars. The 2011 dates crop was 76.980 tons, an increase of 5.6% compared to 2010.

Field crops

The area of plant holdings cultivated with field corps amounted to 24% of the total area of plant holdings in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Rhodes (cultivated as a forage grass) accounted of 94% of the total acreage of field crops in 2011 and alfalfa 4%, while barley, dry corn and other crops were grown on the remaining 2% of the total area cultivated with field crops in 2011.

The 2011 field crops production is estimated at 1,503,841 tons, the bulk of which was Rhodes and alfalfa.

Vegetables

In 2011, the area grown with vegetables represented 2% of the total area of plant holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, of which 1.4% was grown on open ground and 0.6% in greenhouses. Tomatoes occupied 53% of the total area cultivated with vegetables, followed by onion (18%), cucumber (8%) and other vegetable crops (21%).

The quantity of vegetables supplied to the produce distribution centres in 2011 was 36,029.9 tons of various crops, of which tomatoes accounted for 85%.

Afforested areas

Afforested areas cover 3.4% of the area of plant holdings. Some 18.5% of the land is fallowed in order for the land to regain its fertility, 9.6% of the area is unexploited, while 1.5% of the total area of holdings in 2011 was uncultivable.

Distribution of plant holdings by area

In 2011, there were 24394 plant holdings with an aggregated area of 752,839 donums and an average area of 31 donums per holding, with 47% of the plant holdings falling within the area category of 30-39 donums 1.7 of the holding having an area in excess of 60 donums.

Holdings smaller than 30 donums in area accounted for 26% of the total area of holdings, i.e. the remaining 74% of the total area came from holdings of area larger than 30 donums.

Accordingly, smaller holdings are fewer and account for a smaller combined area than larger holdings.

Active plant holdings

The area of the operating agricultural holding in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi totalled 704,761 donums, down 0.2% compared with 2010. Most of the holdings are located in Al Ain region, which is home to 61% of the total are of active holdings in the Emirate, followed by Al Gharbia region (27%) and Abu Dhabi region (12%).

The Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi reaffirmed its commitment to provide adequate agricultural statistics, which are deemed to be basis on which plans are built to develop the agricultural sector. This requires accurate and reliable statistical data that helps decision makers and policy planner to make sound decisions based on a proper scientific planning in all areas, including production, marketing and consumption.

The agricultural sector is one of the productive sectors of the economy, representing the main economic activity of a large number of holders, in addition to being an important source of food commodities and a potential source of primary materials for several manufacturing industries that can be set up Emirate of Abu Dhabi to broaden the contribution of this sector to the GDP and support the Emirate's food security status.

A host of challenges confront this sector this sector, including scarce water supplies and high prices of production inputs.