In a region that imports most of its food, Gulf leaders are poised to ramp up domestic production amid the global pandemic. The insecurity of global supply chains was thrown into sharp relief earlier this year as coronavirus bottlenecked international food manufacturing.
Historically, the Gulf has imported around 90 percent of its food, but in today’s uncertain geopolitical climate, this is an increasingly risky strategy. Constrained by arid soils, scarce water resources, and hot temperatures, the region is seeking new ways to rapidly and significantly bolster its domestic food production capabilities.
The GCC states are turning to the dynamic agritech sector for solutions – a burgeoning industry that is projected to be worth more than £136 billion globally by 2025, according to Agri-Epi Centre.
Broadly speaking, ‘agritech’ is a term that describes optimising the productivity and sustainability of agriculture, horticulture, aqua culture and forestry – this growing sector could be key to supercharging the region’s domestic farming capabilities amid the pandemic and beyond.
Agritech is transforming the Middle East
In recent months, all Gulf countries have ramped up their agritech initiatives, using innovative solutions to optimise limited natural farming resources.
In a global first, the UAE appointed HE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri as Minister of State for Food Security in 2017.
A visionary leader, she has instated the UAE Food Security Strategy, consisting of five pillars: diversification of sources of food imports; research and development to increase domestic food production; reduction of food waste; maintenance of food safety standards; and increasing the UAE’s ability to respond to crises.
Her ambitious goal is to increase domestic food production by 30 percent by 2021 and give the local processing industry, which produces six million tonnes of food annually, the ability to triple output if needed.
Swathes of UAE companies are now using vertical farming techniques to grow produce locally. ADQ, an Abu Dhabi investment holding company, recently announced the establishment of Silal, a new company developed to diversify food sources and increase locally grown, raised and manufactured food.
Another government entity, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, invested $100 million in four agritech companies to build facilities in the emirate, including indoor vertical farming firm AeroFarms. But the country has lofty ambitions far beyond high-rise farming.
The UAE government recently established the AgriTech Sector Development Team, with public and private sector stakeholders from the country’s growing agricultural technology sector with a view to driving groundbreaking agritech projects, such as growing rice in the Sharjah desert.
Further afield, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) is seeking proposals on farm-to-table digital solutions, to enable Kuwaiti farmers to sell goods directly to consumers, along with solutions to upscale production in agriculture and fisheries. In tandem, UAE-based Pure Harvest Smart Farms is expanding its controlled-environment agriculture concept across the GCC with a $35 million deal to build a dedicated high-tech farm in Kuwait.
In Oman, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is looking for proposals for a smart agriculture project to produce vegetables in an efficient way in the Sultanate’s harsh climate.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme puts a large emphasis on agritech. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) is leading a comprehensive agritech initiative in the kingdom, the Saudi Agricultural Bank provides soft loans for new agricultural technologies, and the Public Investment Fund (the sovereign state fund) is looking to invest in new agricultural technologies through SALIC, its agricultural company. The kingdom recently unveiled a SR412 million ($110 million) project that aims to meet the future demand for major grains as part of its plans to achieve food security.
How UK R&D is driving a sustainable approach to agritech
And this is where the UK’s farming credentials stand tall. The country is renowned for its world-leading agritech R&D, combined with academic and commercial strengths across robotics, big data, precision engineering, remote sensing, smart water management, and plant and animal breeding.
Several British agritech suppliers and institutions are already active in the Middle East. The University of Sheffield is working with the Sohar University in Oman to develop a greenhouse that uses cutting-edge technologies to help crops grow in the harsh environment of the Sultanate. While UK-based Fera Science, home to 350 scientists, is working with government strategists in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain to support regional agritech research and testing goals. The York-headquartered firm is engaged in delivering region-wide plant crop and pathogen monitoring expertise, as well as crop plant protection, aquaculture knowledge and food chain science.
As regional governments continue to place a laser-sharp focus on food security, the potential for global agritech partnerships is vast.
The future of regional agriculture is set to be smart, connected and sustainable – and it will likely be driven by a fusion of optimism, technology investment and genuine partnership between the UK and the Middle East.
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