A campaign to plant one million trees across the UAE within the next year was launched in Abu Dhabi on Friday under the title 'Planting One Million Saplings'. Minister of Climate Change and Environment Dr Amna Al Dahak planted the first tree at Gracia Group’s farm in Al Bahia.
Beginning January 1, the farm will distribute a million trees to organizations and community members for cultivation. 'We aim to make our national produce the top agricultural product in the UAE,' stated the minister.
'Plant One Million Saplings' is just the first of many initiatives to be rolled out under the newly established National Agricultural Centre, which aims to equip farmers with advanced skills and technologies to enhance the country’s agricultural sector.
Hamed Al Hamed, founder and CEO of Gracia Group, said, 'Anyone who wishes to participate in the million saplings initiative can collect a tree for free from Gracia. Homes, schools, hospitals, sports clubs… we just want people to start planting.'
The initiative was inspired by 'Plant the Emirates', a nationwide project launched last month by UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Twenty types of decorative and fruitful trees will be available for selection.
The trees provided will come with a comprehensive guidebook to ensure proper planting and maintenance. Steps to reserve a tree from Gracia will be announced on social media and the initiative’s website starting January 1. Participants are required to sign a treaty upon collecting their trees, confirming they will capture a video while planting the tree and share it along with location details.
All information will be shared with the public through a designated website and app, providing live updates on the number of trees, locations, and planting videos. The location and identity of who will plant the millionth tree will remain a mystery, with a contest launched for people to guess who will plant it, with a valuable prize for the correct guess.
'Plant One Million Saplings' was conceived by Al Hamed after an encounter with the UAE Founding Father many years ago. 'I stood in front of Sheikh Zayed and recited one of my poems to him, then he asked me if I had a farm,' recounted Al Hamed. 'When I started farming, I realized what a wonderful gift he gave me, and I vowed to turn this farm into a hub and platform for entrepreneurs to carry his vision to make the UAE an agricultural leader.'
Gracia Group manages over a hundred farms across the country and offers academic incubator programs to help young people establish careers in agriculture.
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