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Abu Dhabi’s investment and holding company ADQ has partnered with a climate-smart agriculture solution provider to construct a high-tech greenhouse in the UAE, which will increase sustainable food production.
ADQ and Netherlands-based Safe Haven Solutions have commenced work on the construction of the new AgTech Park in KEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi Group), the UAE's largest operator and developer of fully integrated and specialised economic zones.
The automated 10-hectare facility will leverage advanced agriculture technology that will enable the year-round cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers in a carbon-neutral, climate-controlled environment.
A phase two of the project will double the growing area of crops to 20 hectares.
The project aims to minimise food waste by aligning production with local market demand.
A recent study on GCC food security by Marmore MENA Intelligence, the research arm of Kuwait Financial Centre, Markaz, indicated that countries such as the UAE have a high dependency on importing agricultural produce, with the country’s annual consumption of fruits and vegetables projected to increase by 18% between 2019 and 2026.
(Writing by Bindu Rai, editing by Daniel Luiz)
