Arab countries suffer from a $17.5 billion food gap and should develop legislation giving the private sector a bigger role in agricultural projects, reported the Gulf News, quoting an official as saying.
The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development's national committee for agricultural tissue technology began its six-day meeting at its Dubai regional office, said the paper.
"In light of the coming WTO agreements, the private sector should be given a bigger role in the sector," President Abdul Kareem Mohammed Al Amri said.
"Arab research and scientific centers, the private sector and market must be linked to develop agricultural production and lessen dependence on foreign products. Arab countries have vast and good agricultural lands."
On whether the authority can help reduce the food gap, Amri said, "With a $300 million capital, the authority cannot do so. But this goal can be achieved if a model project can be presented to the private sector in which agricultural investment and high technology are used."
Amri said Arab scientific research centers must specialize in specific areas so that there will be no duplication or competition. "We have gone backwards in agriculture because of the gap between scientific research and projects and markets. The West progressed faster than the Arabs, traditionally agricultural societies, because it depended on research and linked the sector to the market."
The authority faced difficulties in setting up projects in the 1970s because it was new and many laws were unsuitable for the development of businesses, he was quoted as saying.
"Now, after 25 years, it has the efficiency to set up giant projects," Amri said – Albawaba.com
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