ADQ’s AgTech Park begins operations, launches vertical farming project

AgTech Park, the agricultural ecosystem under Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company ADQ, announced it had commenced its operational phase with the launch of a vertical farming project.

The project is in partnership with Zero, a high-impact technology company headquartered in Italy.

It is the first of several controlled environment agricultural concepts that will be housed in the AgTech Park and aimed at enhancing indoor farming locally and further exploring desert-climate farming in the UAE.

The inaugural farming facility is situated in KEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi Group).

KEZAD has a well-established ecosystem for food industries across the entire value chain, creating a strong base for growth, both for local producers and the food industry as a whole.

Additional sites exploring different technologies will be launched in Al Ain Industrial City within the coming year.

Read: AD Ports launches KEZAD Group to streamline services for strategic industries

The project is targeted at strengthening the local production of crops, fruits and vegetables for multiple applications, including fresh food, nutraceuticals and biopharmaceuticals.

The first joint project between ADQ and Zero draws on the benefits of growing crops in vertical layers in a controlled environment, which includes higher yield, shorter growing times and lower water usage, in addition to bringing the production of a wider variety of fresh produce geographically closer to the UAE’s consumers.

ADQ in partnership with ZERO, launches a vertical farming project in @kezadgroup, as part of its AgTech Park ecosystem. pic.twitter.com/1cG2L3dFex

— ADQ (@Adq_Official) March 22, 2023

The Zero project is retrofitted in a 1,000 square metres warehouse and will achieve an initial production volume of approximately 10 tonnes per year at the proof-of-concept stage.

This pilot phase is expected to conclude in the summer of 2023, following which a 40,000 square metres commercial phase of the vertical farm is envisaged to be launched in Al Ain, alongside other projects featuring controlled-environment technologies.

Highlights of the AgTech Park

At full scale, the 200-hectare AgTech Park will target production volumes of over 40 kilotonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables annually, which would account for up to 6 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, of the UAE’s total consumption and import of the produce grown within the park.

Aiming to spearhead a variety of sustainable farming techniques and localising the food supply chain in line with the National Food Security Strategy 2051, the AgTech Park was first revealed in August 2021 and is estimated to contribute more than 7 per cent to the UAE’s agriculture GDP once operating at full scale.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamsi, managing director and AD Ports Group CEO, said: “We are pleased to host Zero Farms as part of ADQ’s AgTech Park. KEZAD has a well-established ecosystem for food industries that spans the entire value chain with a strong base for growth for both local producers and the food industry as a whole.

“Working alongside KEZAD’s Food Processing Ecosystem, Abu Dhabi Food Hub, and Al Rawabi’s dairy complex, the project will contribute to the National Food Security Programme and help establish Abu Dhabi and the UAE as the regional hub for food.”

Gil Adotevi, executive director of Food and Agriculture at ADQ, said: “The breakthrough technology utilised in the park for the first time in the UAE explores new solutions to help tackle the challenge of sustainably farming in arid and desert climates, allowing us to contribute to not only shortening but also ‘greening’ the food value chain, which is top of the agenda for policymakers around the world as we progress on our net zero journey.”

A broader vision

ADQ has been driving growth in the food and agriculture sector as part of its vision to drive Abu Dhabi’s resilience for future generations, uniting national champions with regional growth ambitions and home-grown brands addressing market gaps within its thriving priority clusters.

Daniele Modesto, chief executive officer, Zero, said: “Vertical farms respond to the urgent need to rethink agriculture, making it more environmentally friendly and sustainable in a world prioritising the responsible use of resources.

“We are exceptionally proud to partner with ADQ [and the AgTech Park] as a forward thinker in the local food and agriculture sector to bring our vertical farming capabilities to the UAE.

“The collaboration allows us to play a role in building one of the most diversified indoor farming facilities in the region that will contribute to realising the nation’s food security strategy.