AgraME 2025, the Middle East’s longest-running agriculture, animal, and aquaculture farming exhibition, is successfully inaugurated under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE). The event was gracefully inaugurated by H.E. Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of the Dubai Land Department and Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality, today, alongside other distinguished dignitaries. The keynote opening speech was delivered by H.E. Sultan Salem Saif Al Shamsi, Director of the National Agricultural Center, who emphasized the event’s strategic significance to the UAE’s national agenda and the critical role of empowering young Emirati talent to achieve it.
Marking its 17th edition, the event commenced with a VIP walkthrough at the Dubai World Trade Centre, showcasing the innovations presented by over 150 exhibitors from more than 180 countries to drive the future of regional food security and agricultural innovation and offering a 360° view of the agricultural value chain.
His Excellency Sultan Salem Saif Al Shamsi, Director of the National Agricultural Center, commented, “It is a pleasure to inaugurate AgraME 2025. It strengthens our commitment to support farmers, providing training and fostering partnerships with the private sector. This prestigious event is a pivotal platform dedicated to translating food security strategies into meaningful action and innovation. With its 17th edition, together we aim to accelerate the country’s efforts to achieve the ambitions of the National Food Security Strategy 2051, further ensuring sustainability and resilience in the agricultural sector. AgraME 2025 is a bridge between global expertise and our national priorities, fostering collaboration and accelerating the adoption of modern technologies that will establish resilience, enhance local production, and ensure sustainable growth for generations to come.”
Ahmed Khalil, Portfolio Director of AgraME, emphasized the event’s crucial role in national strategy, stating, “The conversation in the region has decisively shifted from the need for sustainable food systems to how we build them. AgraME is at the heart of this transition, facilitating partnerships and showcasing real-world technologies, from AI-driven water management to regenerative farming practices, that are directly strengthening local food production today. We are moving beyond theory into actual implementation, and this is where the industry converges to turn national strategy into on-the-ground resilience and sovereign food security.”
The conference highlighted GCC’s powerful emergence as a lab for capital and innovation, with data revealing the UAE leads regional venture capital with startups raising $2.7 billion in 2024-2025, while Saudi Arabia secured a monumental $9.8 billion in private investment for sustainable agriculture, signalling massive market confidence in the region’s food security goals.
Post the inauguration ceremony, the event began immediately with the three specialised, free-to-attend conferences. The Future Food Resilience Summit built on the momentum of the opening keynote, setting the stage for a series of solution-oriented sessions. The summit featured sessions on transforming rural agricultural heartlands into hubs of innovation, led by Sheikh Dr. Majid Al Qassimi, Founding Partner of Soma Mater, who revealed that UAE’s research output has grown 16-fold in 20 years, while Saudi Arabia’s has surged by 320% over the same period. Further solidifying the path to food security, Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), outlined actionable strategies for biosaline agriculture in water-scarce environments. A key session on the “Future of Agriculture Production in the GCC” by Hassan Halawy, CEO, Elite Agritech, explored next-generation farming models and the role of data and AI in scaling precision agriculture across desert landscapes, while a session on “Net Zero Hero” examined practical pathways for carbon-neutral farming.
The event will continue tomorrow for the second day, hosting the Future Food Resilience Summit with sessions on regenerative agriculture and strengthening food supply chains. The agenda will then expand to feature the Middle East Livestock Forum, where experts like Dr. Yassir Ali, Epidemiology & Zoonosis Expert at Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety, will address advancements in animal health and genetics.
A resounding call to action emerged from the summit, urging global food system players to increase investment in the region’s research, startups and ecosystem, while challenging policymakers and regulators to create more efficient innovation pathways to market.
The event also introduced innovative features to maximise visitor engagement, including a smart networking app, ConnectMe, for pre-booked meetings and a digital delegate bag, providing year-round access to exclusive industry insights and research. With this, AgraME 2025 offered a complete view of the agricultural value chain, ensuring that every participant from government policymakers to agritech startups could find the inspiration and solutions to drive their operations forward.
As the region’s longest-running and most comprehensive agricultural trade show, AgraME continues to serve as its core hub where innovation meets sustainability, bringing the entire Middle Eastern agricultural ecosystem together under one roof. AgraME is a free-to-attend event for all visitors and will continue through October 7, 2025, at Halls 3 and 4 of the Dubai World Trade Centre. For a detailed hour-by-hour schedule, attendees are encouraged to access the official event app.
AgraME is supported by a cohort of industry-leading sponsors, including Reef Saudi, AgroHouse Trading LLC, Elite Agro Holding LLC, Flora Engineering Services LLC, Foshan GrowSpec BioTech Co., Ltd., Grabi Chemical SpA, The Qrill Company, Dutch Greenhouse Delta, Green Akzente, Montel and PwC.