The Gulf at a glance
The six nations that make up the GCC are developing a range of innovative projects to boost food security. We take a look at the strides each country has made in recent months.
Bahrain
- Earlier this year, a $12million facility was launched by Bahrain Agricultural Foods Storage and Security, which aims to produce and distribute grains locally and export them internationally.
- The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) announced that the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 is the most environmentally friendly motorsport event in history due to its special composting machines and recycling facilities. The BIC plans to expand its solar farm to further reduce energy consumption for future events.
Saudi Arabia
- Tanmiah Food Co. plans to invest US$1.2 billion by 2030 to cover 80% of the country’s poultry needs by 2025. Furthermore, a community partnership initiative with small investors in the poultry industry aims to produce 1.2 million chickens per day. A new healthy production line called “Tanmiah Life”, which focuses on healthy poultry products, will be launched soon.
- National Grain Company, a US$110 million project aims to meet the future demand for major grains in Saudi Arabia. The company will oversee the trade, handling, and storage of grains between its sources and will start with a capacity of about 3 million tons per year in 2022, and gradually increase to 5 million tons per year.
The UAE
- Agritech leader Veggitech recently unveiled a Saffron farm in Sharjah, the first of its kind the UAE and largest in the Mena region. The farm boasts fully smart built-in systems to manage the entire farming process from temperature control to irrigation systems, which produces healthier crops while reducing land and water usage.
- Food Tech Valley is a UAE government-led initiative, which is a first-of-its-kind and aims to unite the complete food and agriculture ecosystem. The project aims to bring together stakeholders to pioneer sustainable food production that will reimagine how the world produces and consumes food.
Kuwait
- Green Life Company launched its innovative smart agriculture project that uses Aeroponic technology for air farming. The project aims to build a more adaptable and sustainable food system by incorporating advanced food technologies to achieve sustainable food production throughout the year.
- Kuwait is on track to launch XZERO City, which will span 1600 hectares with 30,000 residential units. The city aims to provide a net zero-carbon lifestyle for 100,000 residents and be self-sufficient, by producing the resident’s food intake on-site and harvest renewable energy locally.
Qatar
- WadiWater has developed a technology that produces potable water from humidity in the air, and its largest units are capable of producing 5,000 litres of fresh drinking water a day. The company signed an agreement with IPA Qatar that will enable it to provide innovative technologies to the agriculture industry to reduce water waste.
- Qatari-based Agrico has relied on its own research and tech to build technologically sophisticated organic farms and fisheries, enabling year-round food production. The company uses hydroponics and aquaponics to support a circular farming model that is both organic and self-sustaining.
Oman
- Al Bashayer Meat Company, the largest integrated meat project in the region, is expected to contribute to increasing the self-sufficiency of red meat in Oman from 37 percent to 46 percent. The project features an array of farms for the rearing of cattle, goats and sheep and capacity is in excess of one million heads of livestock annually.
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has signed a contract worth USD$ 77million to establish a finfish farm in Muscat. Production capacity of the first phase of the project using floating cages is projected to be 3,000 tonnes.