Opinion Food & Drink The Arab world needs to ease global food trade barriers The region must embrace food imports May 23, 2023
Opinion Agriculture Lengthy war in Sudan could jeopardise Gulf food security Sudan’s now-protracted conflict could have ongoing and unforeseen consequences, not only for the war-ravaged African state, but for its trade connections, including the GCC As Sudan’s warring militaries – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – battle for supremacy, catastrophic damage is being wrought on the nation’s already rundown infrastructure and utility […] May 4, 2023
Energy Lootah Biofuels turns gaze to Asia after Maldives deal Lootah Biofuels has signed an agreement with state-owned Fenaka Corporation, a company serving the island communities of the Maldives, to establish its first biofuel plant outside the UAE. Lootah, which is based in Dubai, said the deal underscored its commitment to expand its reach internationally to meet long-term energy needs through clean alternatives. For the […] May 1, 2023
Agriculture Turkey imposes 130% tariff on some grain imports Turkey imposed a 130 percent import tariff of some grain imports including wheat and corn, according to a presidential decision published in the official gazette. The import duty comes after some European Union countries announced bans on grain imports from Ukraine last week. But some traders said Turkey’s move is largely to protect its local […] April 26, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Tech RedSea rules out listing in search for growth Sustainable agriculture business RedSea has revealed plans to raise extra funds, but has ruled out a listing for the company for the moment. Founded in 2018 by plant scientist Mark Tester, agriculture engineering expert Ryan Lefers and material scientist Derya Baran, the Saudi-based agtech startup aims to find ways to feed populations in the face […] April 24, 2023
Agriculture Black Sea grain deal elusive as ship inspections resume Inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea resumed on Wednesday under a UN-brokered deal, but Kyiv said more time was needed to secure an extension of the initiative. Ukraine, which depends heavily on revenue from grain sales as it battles Russia’s invasion, and its allies blamed the latest halt to ship inspections […] April 20, 2023
Opinion Cop28 How Egypt can address its water challenges Egypt must bring in the private sector to help solve its water issues April 19, 2023
Agriculture Saudi Greenhouses goes Dutch to elevate sustainable farming Dutch indoor agriculture outfit Plantlab has committed to invest up to €300 million ($325 million) in the Middle East and North Africa to help support the region’s sustainable farming ambitions. Plantlab aims to build a minimum of 10 indoor farms over the next three to five years in partnership with Saudi Greenhouses. The first location, […] March 31, 2023
Agriculture Saudis invest $70m in Danish bioprotein firm Saudi Industrial Investment Group is investing $70 million in Unibio International, a bioprotein production technology firm in Denmark, to help increase food security in the kingdom. SIIG told shareholders that it has signed an agreement to buy 24 percent of the company. The investment will be in two phases: a 9.9 percent stake is to […] March 30, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Economy Brazil steps up efforts to engage UAE in free trade talks Brazil is keen to progress free trade negotiations with the UAE, a business leader has said, and working hard to “reduce resistance” from the country’s petrochemicals sector. Osmar Chohfi, president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, told AGBI that current resistances revolve around “some sensibilities by the Brazilian petrochemical industry fearing unfair competition” but […] March 30, 2023
Exclusive Tech Food Tech Valley set to triple food production in Dubai The development of Food Tech Valley just outside Dubai represents a milestone in the UAE’s efforts to improve food security. The Emirates currently imports 90 percent of its food and only 5 percent of its land is suitable for arable production. Food Tech Valley, a partnership between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and […] March 21, 2023
Agriculture Egypt to withdraw from decades-old UN grain treaty by June-end Egypt, one of the world’s largest wheat importers, has given notice it will withdraw at the end of June from a decades-old UN grains treaty, causing consternation among some other signatories to the convention. Egypt’s departure from the multinational Grains Trade Convention (GTC), which promotes market transparency to further trade cooperation, follows a period of […] March 12, 2023
Agriculture Morocco can weather storm of fruit and vegetable shortage Recent adverse growing conditions in Morocco have caused shortages of some fruit and vegetable produce in European supermarkets, particularly in the UK, but the impact will not dent economic growth in the North African country this year, the World Bank said. British supermarkets last month introduced rationing of some popular produce as a result of […] March 8, 2023
Tech AeroFarms: the US business growing up (and up) in the Gulf Agtech giant AeroFarms is seeding its indoor vertical farms all over the Gulf, launching significant ventures in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The US company is set to play a pivotal role in tackling problems of farming in the desert-climate region, which has historically imported around 90 percent of its food requirements. AeroFarms claims […] March 1, 2023
Tech Baiting the hook to develop Saudi’s aquaculture industry Aquaculture – farming in water – is the world’s fastest-growing food sector, accounting for more than half of global seafood supply. For Saudi Arabia, eager to bolster its food security and to build non-oil exports, this is an opportunity. On February 12, Arabian Agricultural Services Company (Arasco) signed an agreement with Neom Food and Cargill, […] March 1, 2023
Tech Egypt’s farmers are prepping the soil for a digital revolution Agriculture may be the world’s least digitised industry. While machine learning and artificial intelligence are transforming many areas of our lives, in many countries farming is behind the curve. “Agriculture has been slow to transform and that’s largely because it happens in rural locations and it’s also very fragmented,” said Andy Jenkinson, chief technology at Varda, […] March 1, 2023
Tech The vertical farms stacking up across the UAE Food security is a top priority in the UAE government’s development goals outlined in its National Strategy for Food Security. Political will and private sector innovation are combining, and the result is an unprecedented wave of agricultural technology initiatives that aim to improve food self-sufficiency. Across the Gulf, the vast majority of food requirements have […] March 1, 2023
Tech Top 10 agtech innovators shaping the Mena market Lush plains criss-crossed by fresh water lakes and grasslands where hippos and elephants roamed. This was the Arabian peninsula in prehistoric times, according to archaeologists who have uncovered traces of fertile landscapes beneath the desert sands. Today the terrain looks very different, as the region’s governments race to confront food scarcity on a warming planet. […] March 1, 2023
Agriculture Ukraine poultry giant signs deal to boost Saudi food security A Ukrainian poultry business and a Saudi food group have signed an agreement that aims to improve the kingdom’s food security. MHP, one of Europe’s largest exporters of chicken, has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Tanmiah Food Company. The agreement is the first step in establishing a joint venture between Tanmiah’s subsidiary, Desert […] February 21, 2023
Food & Drink Saudi prince joins round for US-based alt protein startup KBW Ventures, the venture capital firm founded by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, has completed a second round of investment in Seattle-based food manufacturing technology company Rebellyous Foods. The US company, which makes plant-based chicken substitute and is led by former aerospace engineer Christie Lagally, raised $9.5 million in its latest equity round. Rebellyous […] February 16, 2023
Tech PIF and AeroFarms to build indoor vertical farms across Mena The Public Investment Fund (PIF) has signed a joint venture agreement with AeroFarms, a US-based sustainable indoor agriculture company, to build and operate indoor vertical farms across the wider Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region through a newly-established company in Riyadh. The agreement will optimise the utilisation of natural resources, including water and agricultural […] February 2, 2023
Tech Farming tech startup moves HQ from Europe to UAE A Finnish tech startup is swapping the green countryside of Northern Europe for the Arabian desert as it looks to grow its urban farming business. iFarm was invited in November to join the incentive programme of Abu Dhabi’s Hub71, the technology project led by Mubadala Investment Company and backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi. […] February 1, 2023
