Sharjah Cooperative wins Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award 2026
Sharjah Cooperative wins Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Award 2026, underscoring its market support for UAE farmers and plans to expand local produce sales across its retail network.
Sharjah Cooperative clinched the Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence in its fourth cycle for 2026, marking a high-profile recognition of the society’s role in supporting national agriculture. The win highlights the cooperative’s efforts to connect UAE farmers with consumers and expand commercial channels for locally produced food. Company leaders framed the accolade as both recognition and a mandate to scale initiatives that boost farm productivity and competitiveness.
Award Presented at Emirates Palace
The award was formally presented during a ceremony at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, an event organised under the supervision of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority. Muhammad Al Amri, the executive director of support services at Sharjah Cooperative, received the trophy on behalf of the organisation. The ceremony brought together public and private stakeholders involved in agricultural development and food safety across the country.
Organisers described the Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence as a national initiative that honours distinguished practices and partnerships in the sector. Sharjah Cooperative’s entry was recognised for its measurable contributions to farmer support and for delivering market access solutions within the retail sector. The recognition positions the cooperative alongside other leading institutions working to strengthen the UAE’s agricultural ecosystem.
CEO Frames Win as Commitment to Farmers
Majid Salem Al-Junaid, chief executive officer of Sharjah Cooperative, said the award reinforces the society’s long term commitment to national agriculture and to the farmers it serves. He emphasised that the win increases the cooperative’s responsibility to accelerate initiatives that help producers reach wider markets and enhance the competitiveness of Emirati-grown products. Al-Junaid outlined a focus on targeted programmes that promote innovation, raise production efficiency and align with the UAE’s food security objectives.
The CEO indicated that the cooperative plans to deepen collaborations with government bodies, private partners and farmer groups to expand technical support and market intelligence. He said future initiatives would include tailored capacity building, marketing campaigns and investments in supply chain efficiency. The tone from leadership was forward looking, framing the award as a springboard for concrete actions rather than symbolic recognition.
Support to Over 100 Farms and Retail Network Impact
Sharjah Cooperative said its initiatives have supported more than 100 productive farms across the UAE in recent years, including organic, hydroponic and sustainable operations. The cooperative leverages its 52 retail branches to display and sell produce from these farms, creating direct market channels for small and medium sized agricultural producers. These measures aim to increase visibility for local brands and reduce barriers that farmers often face when entering formal retail markets.
The society has allocated over 1,000 square metres of retail space for local farm products across its network, a commitment that management says contributed to an estimated 10 percent increase in sales for participating farms over recent years. Officials noted that dedicated shelf space and in-branch promotions improved turnover and helped producers achieve better pricing and predictable demand. The retail partnership model is presented as a scalable template for other cooperatives and retailers across the Emirates.
New Programs and Strategic Partnerships Planned
Following the award, Sharjah Cooperative intends to launch additional targeted programmes to support innovation in agriculture and to raise local production efficiency. Planned measures include new pilot projects, knowledge transfer initiatives with agri-technology providers and expanded marketing support to promote Emirati produce year round. Management highlighted a commitment to evidence based programming that monitors results and adjusts approaches to maximise farmer benefit.
The cooperative also signalled intentions to deepen partnerships with regulatory bodies, research institutions and private sector actors to foster a holistic value chain approach. These partnerships are expected to streamline logistics, improve post-harvest handling and open additional wholesale and export opportunities for participating farms. Officials said such collaborations will be aligned with national strategies for food security and sustainable agricultural development.
Significance for UAE Food Security and Local Production
Stakeholders view the recognition of Sharjah Cooperative as part of a broader push to strengthen domestic production and reduce reliance on imports for key food categories. Awards like the Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed recognition are designed to spotlight scalable practices and to encourage the private sector to replicate successful models. In this context, Sharjah Cooperative’s retail led support for producers is seen as a practical contribution to national food resilience.
The cooperative’s approach underscores the role of retail networks in translating production gains into consumer access and income for farmers. By integrating small scale producers into formal retail channels and investing in promotion and shelf space, the model addresses both supply and demand side challenges. Observers say sustained public private collaboration will be essential to maintain momentum and to meet the UAE’s longer term food security targets.
The Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Award is expected to amplify Sharjah Cooperative’s profile and accelerate its plans to expand support for farmers, launch new programmes and strengthen market linkages for local produce. The cooperative has signalled that the prize will be followed by a series of initiatives aimed at innovation, partnership building and measurable increases in local production and sales.