The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has approved five investment projects worth AED524 million ($142.6 million) to establish fish, vegetable, fruit, cattle and poultry farms.
The projects will be built on a total land and sea area of approximately four million sq m and will be developed by private sector companies as part of ADAFSA’s efforts to increase farming projects and achieve sustainable agricultural development in Abu Dhabi.
ADAFSA said it has signed two Musataha contracts with Aqua Fishers Company and Mirak Agricultural Services Company.
Aqua Fishers Company will establish a fish farm to produce 5,000 tons of seabream, seabass, hamour, red snapper and shrimp at a total cost of AED110 million.
Fishponds will be built at sea while administrative offices, fish handling and packaging facilities and laboratories will be established on Delma Island.
The second Musataha agreement signed with Mirak Agricultural Services Company is to establish a farm to produce vegetables and fruit using advanced technology for growing plants in controlled environments, including hydroponics at a total cost of AED140 million.
Another three projects were awarded to Alfafa Company, Al Nahdha Farm and Emirates National Poultry Farms. Alfafa Company will establish a farm to grow plants, including hybrid seeds, using a drip irrigation system and the latest farming techniques at a cost of AED38 million while Al Nahdha Farm has secured approval for a new farm for breeding calves to market their meat locally.
The project will increase the farm’s production of calves from 3,500 to 20,000 heads, raising its production capacity by 470 percent at a total cost of AED 86 million.
Emirates National Poultry Farms also secured ADAFSA’s approval to establish a poultry farm and slaughterhouse with a production capacity of 30,000 birds per day in Al Dhafra region, costing AED150 million.
Saeed Al Bahri Salem Alameri, director general of ADAFSA, said: “We believe in the need to strengthen partnerships and cooperation with private sector companies, especially those operating in agricultural and food-related activities, to enable them to contribute to the development of the food security system.
“Launching more projects in Abu Dhabi’s agriculture sector creates new investment opportunities, promotes sustainable agricultural development and supports the UAE’s efforts to stimulate investment and diversify income sources,” Alameri added.
ADAFSA and Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) said they are working together to spur investment across Abu Dhabi’s agriculture ecosystem and expand the supply of sustainable, local produce.
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Saeed Al Bahri Salem Alameri, director general of ADAFSA (left), and Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, director general of ADIO
Dr Tariq Bin Hendi, director general of ADIO, said: “Abu Dhabi’s agriculture ecosystem is on a strong growth trajectory, as we cooperate with enterprising local companies to establish farms and build out the emirate’s farming capabilities. Significant areas of land and sea are being transformed into high-yielding agriculture zones that are expected to create exceptional value through the development of research, operational and processing facilities.”
In June, ADAFSA and ADIO announced a AED1 billion pipeline of investment opportunities and awarded five investment projects worth AED75 million to four major local companies by signing long-term Musataha agreements.
The five new awards bring the number of projects launched in cooperation with the private sector to 10, worth AED599 million.
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