Netherlands-UAE JV to build indoor farm in Abu Dhabi with cultivation area the size of 22 football fields

A joint venture between a Dutch and UAE firm will build an indoor farm in the deserts of Abu Dhabi that will yield 160,000 square meters of cultivation area, roughly the size of 22 football fields.

Netherlands-based GrowGroup IFS and UAE’s RainMakrs Capital Investment LLC will spend 650 million dirhams ($177 million) to build the indoor farm on 17.5 hectares of desert land.

The two companies say the facility, called GreenFactory Emirates, will be the world’s biggest indoor farm. It will produce 10,000 tons of fresh produce annually, the Dutch company said in a statement on September 22.

This is a small portion of the edible vegetables UAE currently imports but goes some way to contribute to efforts to improve food security, which the country has made a priority. In 2017 the government established a State Ministry for Food Security, which led to the UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051 formulation.

UAE paid $71.55 billion for 809,655 tons of edible vegetables it imported in 2019. This was down from 1,894,311 tons and $71.99 billion in 2018.

GreenFactory Emirates will cover seeding, harvesting and processing of fresh produce. It will also contain an R&D component that will help increase production beyond the 56 current varieties of lettuce, leafy greens, herbs and kale.

Phase 1 of the three-stage project is targeted to be operational before Dubai Expo 2020 that is now scheduled for October 2021.

Annual food consumption per capita in the UAE is an average of 700 kg. Vegetables make up around 14%. Grains and pulses are the biggest component (32%), followed by meat and poultry (29%), fruits (21%) and fish (4%).

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