With its lack of ploughable land, intense summer heat and no permanent rivers, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not the first country that springs to mind when discussing agriculture.
But necessity is the mother of invention, and the seven emirates that constitute the UAE are using ag tech to reduce its reliance on food imports, currently running at 90 percent of consumption. With its population nearly doubling in the last 20 years, the government has set itself a task of topping the Food Security Index by 2051. The developments made in areas such as controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and cropping in saline soils could be spun out to other countries beset by similar agricultural challenges.
With so much invested in agriculture, and so much activity currently taking place, the UAE might become the first that springs to mind.
This country report begins with a brief overview of the UAE’s agricultural trade and production. There has been considerable growth in vegetable and fruit production in the last 10 years, such as an increase in cucumber production, as well as tomato, largely reflecting the grow in greenhouse area.
Moving in the opposite directionhas been a decline in forage crop production. But at the same time new crops are being experimented with – quinoa being an example –to reduce the country’s dependency on imported food. There is even a large-scale trial to grow wheat and find a variety that is able to flourish in both the climatic conditions and the UAE soils.
Soil salinity is an issue in the UAE and this is why the country is home to a world-leading research facility – the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). This report contains an interview with the Director General, Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi. She describes how ICBA is home to the longest-running experiment in the UAE to assess the long-term impact of different levels of irrigation water salinity on the growth and yield of 18 date palm varieties from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
ICBA is looking at how to use saline water in agriculture, as well as finding sustainable practices to improve the soil, such as biochar.
Another research centre, this one focused on specialty fertilizer, has been opened by Dubai-based RNZ Group. Managing Director Raza Soomar writes about the Centre Of Excellence for Fertilizer Technology Research (COE-FTR) that is the first-of-its-kind facility for fertilizer science and technology research
in UAE. RNZ Group offers 400 different water-soluble fertilizers and granular NPK grades fully customized, says Soomar.
One of the ways the UAE is looking to reduce its dependency on food imports is through CEA. A category within CEA is vertical farming (VF), a sector receiving a lot of attentionat present.
New AG International spoke with VF expert Henry Gordon-Smith and did a follow-up Q&A with him that we present here. Gordon-Smith is optimistic about opportunities for VF in UAE, despite a downturn in fortunes in other parts of world. He presents some costings that show crop selection is vital. He also reveals how different energy prices exist even within UAE. Extrapolating to a global level, this shows how difficult it is to estimate production costs for VF even within a country.
In terms of sustainability, one company is building an aeroponic farm in the Liwa region of UAE (see map). The Farms, as the company is known, is constructing the largest aeroponic Tower Farm in the Middle East, and the company is planning to begin operations in the Fall of 2024 with an aim to demonstrate its capabilities of growing over 150 different crops while opening commercial distribution routes to the food service hospitality sector.
With all this technology there also needs to be a people element. Our final contribution comes from the editor of HR Observer, a sister publication of New AG International, based in Dubai. The point this article makes is that the introduction of technology will mean that different skills will be required in future. “There are several skills that are needed,” said Ahmad Al Shaibani, Head of Food Tech Valley Project in the UAE during Agra Middle East. “If we are talking about the region (Gulf Cooperation Council), we need more people to know more about the environment and to know more about the technology that worksfor our environment to produce the type of crops that is needed for our food security.”
But what is driving this technical innovation? In two words: food security.
One of the ways the UAE is looking to reduceits dependency on food imports is through CEA.
Security ambitions The population of UAE has increased by around five million since 2005, when the population
The two major crises of the Covid pandemic and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine have brought into focus this import-dependency.
was 4.496 million, and now standing at around 9.4 million, with one forecast projecting 10.7 million by 2040 [Ref. 1].
This doubling in population is one reason why the UAE is so import-dependent on food, with the often-quoted percentage being 90 percent of its food needs.
Even before these events, the government had devised a National Food Security Strategy 2051, announced in 2018 and forming part of seven national strategies as the country heads towards its centennial in 2071 [Ref. 2].
The ambition is particularly ambitious: to make the UAE number one in the Global Food Security Index by 2051.
The aim was to be within the top 10 by 2021, which it achieved when it was placed ninth, but it has currently fallen to 23rd, according to the government web portal, dated December 2023. The renewed aim is to be top 10 again by 2031.
There are various spokes to this agricultural strategy. The headline aims are to add $10 billion to the economy and generate 20,000 jobs within the next five years, as announced by Abdulla bin Touq al Marri, the UAE's Minister of Economy, during the fifth Future Food Forum in Dubai in October 2023.
The first spoke, or pillar as referred to by the minister, looks to develop local innovation, while the second pillar aims to transform UAE into a global regulatory powerhouse; the third pillar is to prioritize domestic production and reduce reliance on imports. The fourth pillar is about supplying the necessary levels of funding.
H.E. Al Marri said in a statement: “Access to funding is why people grow, industries evolve, and our strategy will look into securing funding and support. This brings us to our fifth pillar of fostering innovation with world-class R&D innovation, which is the cornerstone of progress. We will provide world-class research and development packages to inspire change.”
The sixth pillar is geared towards diversification in the agriculture sector, creating access to new markets. The seventh and final pillar aims to build the next generation of farmers “who are the future of agriculture and agri-tech,” saidthe minister.
Water – lifeblood more than commodityThere is a water dimension to the plans, released in September 2017 by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. With no permanent rivers, the country relies on rainfall that falls in the Al Hajar mountainsin the east of the country,as well as desalination, which accounts for around 90 percentof water supply [Ref. 3]
The UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 aims to reduce total demand for water resources by 21 percent. For agriculture, there is the aim to reduce the supply required by the sector, from 8.2 million cubic metres (as in 2016) down to 7.1 million cubic metres by 2036 [Ref. 4]
Vertical farming, with its reduced water consumption, will play a key role in achieving that objective.
“Advances in wastewater treatment are also playing a significant role, particularly in our agricultural sector, which saw a 46 percent increase in
its water productivity between 2012 and 2018,” said H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment [Ref. 5].
“As our nation’s founder Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan taught us, water is not simply a commodity; it is our lifeblood.”
Lake Hatta is in the Al Hajar mountains, which lie in the eastern part of the country and run down through the UAE and then through Oman.The city of Hatta is a tourist destination and recreational activities take place on the lake. The lake lies in a small exclave of the Emirate of Dubai.
The UAE does not have any permanent rivers. It does, however, have dry riverbeds, known as wadi, that will flow when there is rainfall.
Dubai Farms In March 2024, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, launched Dubai Farms [Ref. 6]. Under the initiative, services and incentives will be offered to Emirati farmers who own productive agricultural projects. A farmers’ association is to be established to help ensure the continuity of jobs in agriculture, along with an online smart farming platform. Among the services to be offered are workshops, partnerships, laboratory testing, pest control and market information. Incentives include competitive pricing for farming supplies, machinery and irrigation systems.
Table 1: Country data UAE
Agricultural imports As well as being an importer of food for domestic consumption, the UAE is also a regional food processing hub. Some feedstuffs entering the country are destined for processing and then re-export.
Wheat is a good example where milling and processing is driven by both re-exports and local consumption. Wheat milling capacity is around 1.67 million MT per year and total storage capacity is around 920,000 MT. Table 2 shows the UAE’s wheat consumption is close to this milling capacity. With imports higher than consumption, this allows for a surplus to be exported.
There are around 568 food and beverage processors and manufacturers in the UAE, most of whom will be dependent on imported ingredients. One food in particular – dates – feature highly in the UAE’s exports, but the country is also a large importer (see later section).
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated in a country report in April 2023 that after a slowdown in livestock investments, the industry was expanding again based on the consumption of fresh livestock products, such as dairy, and the poultry industry. Most of the country’s corn imports go into feed for poultry production.
The UAE consumes around three million MT per year on grain and forage products to feed 4.8 million head of cows, camels, sheep and goats. There are 44 poultry farms in the UAE.
Table 2: UAE’s wheat, rice, corn and barley consumption and imports: 2023-24 compared with 2022-23
Wheat MY = marketing year July-June; Rice marketing year = January to December; Corn: October to September; Barley: October to September
Source: USDA
Make it a date Dates are the fruit of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera).
The UAE has consistently been within the world’s top 10 producers of dates. The UAE was in eighth place in 2022, according to data from FAOSTAT, with production of 397,000 tonnes (t); compared with top-placed Egypt with 1.7 million t.
Production has grown since 2012 when it was below 250,000 t with yields increasing based on a fairly constant harvested area. From 2012 to 2022, the 10-year period has averaged a harvested area of 37,000 hectares (ha). From Chart 1, the yield line can be seen to be rising from 2012 and again from 2019. In 2022, the yield was 9.8 t/ha of dates, against a global average of 8.9 t/ha, which was derived using FAOSTAT data for Africa, the EU, U.S., Middle East and Asia categories.
Chart 1: UAE date palm yield against global average
Source: https://opendata.fcsc.gov.ae
Trade in date fruit The UAE is one of the world’s largest exporters of dates and has even been the top exporter. It claimed top spot in 2016, with an exported volume of 275,863 t [Ref. 8].
However, this only really givesone side of the story. Chart 2shows the UAE’s exports of dates with the green bars and the imports in orange bars.
These imports have averaged 191,000 t from 2012 to 2022. In this time frame (2012-2022),
exports have exceeded imports and have generally tracked each other, when exports rise, imports have risen; and when exports have fallen, imports have fallen too.
Chart 2: Fruit of date palm - production, imports, exports,apparent consumption
By combining production and imports and then subtracting exports gives apparent consumption. This is shown as the light blue line in Chart 2. Apparent consumption has increased since 2012, probably due to population growth in UAE. It seems to haveflat-lined at around 300,000 tsince 2017.
Looking to 2025-2030, date production will probably flatline at around 400,000 t, and exports between 200,000-250,000 t. To get to a production total of 450,000 t would be a breakout from data shown, but production has apparently been much higher at 700,000-800,000 t in the period 2000-2010, with a harvested area at around 185,000 ha, as suggested by data from FAOSTAT. New AG International has queried this data with a local source but has not been able to confirm if there was an actual decline. It might be a case of the data being misrecorded. For example, the 400,000 t level is in line with production in the 1990s. The decline was not mirrored by other countries in the Middle East, although the red palm weevil was a pest in the region [Ref. 8] and has affected production volumes.
In 2022, UAE was the third largest exporter of dates with 258,661 t. The five-year average 2017-2021 is 226,755 t. Chart 2 also shows the 2022 export figure coincides with an increase in production to 397,328 t, far right of chart.
Agricultural production and area There has been considerable growth in vegetable and fruit production in the last 10 years, as well as new crops added to the data available on the government data portal. Quinoa appears in data in 2019 and shows a production volume of 1,350 t from 135 ha. Cantaloupe has also been added. Another trend is the growth in cucumber production, and the increase in citrus.
Field crops Field crops present a different story. In the UAE context, field crops mainly refer to forage crops, such as grass varieties that will grow in dry conditions. Rhodes grass (Chloris Gayana) is grown as an animal feed, used for cattle and horses. Looking at the official data, there is a drop in field crop production of 2.3 million t in 2005 to just under 500,000 tin 2018.
Chart 3: UAE field crop production 2005-2018
The decline is shown in Chart 3 and shows that in 2010, 1.6 million t of field crops were produced. When looking at the breakdown, the field crops produced in 2010 were alfalfa, Rhodes grass, millet, maize, and ‘other’. It is not clear why the production of ‘other’ went from 182,000 t in 2011 to 9,172 t in 2012, and never recovered.
There are some clues in a couple of academic papers. There was a drop in Rhodes grass area from 18,485 ha in 2011 to 2,956 ha, which coincided with the ending of subsidies in 2010 for Rhodes grass, according to Ref. 9. The area now grown is around 5,000 ha. Ref. 10 says that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi decided to phase out the cultivation of fodder crops such as Rhodes grass “because of its high water use.”
Since then, there has been the introduction of elephant grass (arundo donax) aka Napier grass – a forage crop – that has appeared in statistics from 2017. From an area of 955 ha in 2017 growing, albeit modestly, to 1,127 ha by 2020. Production was 76,420 t in 2017.
Wheat project in Emirate of Sharjah Looking at the wheat imports for UAE explains why the country has been exploring the cultivation of wheat varieties that might produce reasonable yields in its challenging climatic conditions. In February 2023, the Emirate of Sharjah announced that it would be harvesting 400 ha of wheat in the Mleiha region (see Map) in March-April of 2023.
The U.S. Grain Report says that the farm is expected to produce around 1,600 t on an annual basis. As seen from the earlier trade section, this is a small fraction of the annual wheat consumption for the country.
The 400 ha represents the first phase of the project. The second phase will be on an area of 880 ha in 2024, and the third and final phase will be an area of 1,400 ha in 2025. According to the U.S., the project includes experimental fields of 35 different types of wheat from around the world, spread across two ha to explore compatibility with Emirati soil and weather. The U.S. Grain Report notes that similar projects in the Arabian Gulf have failed, including “Saudi Arabia’s now ended experiment with wheat farming that led to severe depletion of ground water resources.”
Wheat project inEmirate of Sharjah
Vegetable productionWhile field crop production has declined, vegetable production is on an upward trajectory. In 2011, field crops production by volume was 744,559 t against vegetable volume totalling 148,880 t. By 2020, field crop volume was down to 476,958 tonnes, and vegetable volume up to 336,580 t.
Chart 4: Decline of field crop production against increasein vegetable production2011-2020
Looking at some specific vegetables: cucumber has grown from 4,497 t in 2011 to 105,765 t in 2020, out of a total vegetables volume of 336,580 t, so roughly one-third of all vegetable production by volume. Chart 5 shows how production has grown. The area has declined, showing the yield increasing.
Chart 5: Increasing cucumber production in tonnes, and increasing yield
The growth in cucumber, as well as tomato and pepper production, is partly a reflection of the increase in the number of greenhouses.
Cucumbers growingin greenhouse in UAE. Notice large fan and soil substrate.
Table 3: Growth of greenhouses by number and area in Abu Dhabi 2010-2016
Not all greenhouses will be what is described as ‘active’. “The total area of vegetable crops grown in greenhouses in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi reached about 4,976 donums [497 ha]. About 3,383 donums [338 ha] were cultivated in Al Ain, representing 68 percent of the total cultivated area in greenhouses, while about 927 donums [92 ha] were cultivated in Al Dhafra, at 18.6 percent of the total area, and 666 donums in Abu Dhabi, at 13.4 percent,” according to a release from the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) in 2020 when reporting on the 2018-19 marketing year.
The country map in this report shows the location of Al Ain. With 497 ha given as the greenhouse area, this suggests an inactivity area of 50 ha, according to the data presented in Table 3.
The total quantity of vegetables production in the emirate's greenhouses is estimated at 78,425 t during 2018-19 farming season, according to ADAFSA. The total vegetable production for 2020 was given above as 336,000 t, so Abu Dhabi’s greenhouses are responsible for around 23 percent of UAE’s vegetable production.
Chart 6: Increasing tomato production and yield against global average
Source: https://opendata.fcsc.gov.ae / World in Data
The final chart in this series, Chart 6, show the increasing tomato yields – 58,669 t from 1,351 ha in 2011 (yield of 43 t/ha), to 80,086 t from 932 ha in 2020 – a yield of 86 t per hectare. The chart shows the UAE yield above a derived global average taken from Africa/Asia/EU/United States, based on World in Data data.
The UAE has more than two million sheep. In 2018, there were1.77 million in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Emirate of Sharjah was in second place with 114,000. All seven emirates registered sheep population. (Opendata.fcsc.gov.ae)
Bound by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, the UAE has two land borders: Oman 609 km; Saudi Arabia 457 km. The coastline runs for 1,318 km and the highest point is Jabal Bil 'Ays at 1,905 m. ●
Security ambitions
Ref. 1: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/united-arab-emirates-population
Ref. 2: A Guide to Food Security in the UAE 2023, publication United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change & Environment (MOCCAE)
In addition: https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/strategies-plans-and-visions/environment-and-energy/national-food-security-strategy-2051#:~:text=The%20strategy%20aims%20to%3A,enhance%20local%20production
Water strategy
Ref. 3: 90% of water available in UAE is from desalination, https://foodmatterslive.com/article/uae-new-food-strategy-reducing-imports-investing-agtech/
Ref. 4: ‘Accelerating Action Towards a Green, Inclusive and Resilient Economy’ PDF United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Climate Change & Environment, www.moccoae.gov.ae
Ref. 5: Speech: H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment (UAE National Statement to the UN Water Conference 2023), https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/UAE%20%28E%29.pdf
In addition: https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/strategies-plans-and-visions/environment-and-energy/the-uae-water-security-strategy-2036
Rainfall from Hajar mountains: https://www.emiratesnaturewwf.ae/en/our-work/freshwater#:~:text=We%20have%20no%20permanent%20rivers,were%20satisfied%20by%20natural%20sources.
Dubai Farms
Ref. 6: https://www.gulfoodgreen.com/news-insights/hh-sheikh-hamdan-launches-dubai-farms-initiative
Table 1 FAO Country report UAE PDF
Ref. 7: FAO. 2008. AQUASTAT Country Profile – United Arab Emirates. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Rome, Italy
World Bank population data and forecast
Agricultural Imports
Ref. 8: FAO Date Palm in the Arab Region 2023 PDF Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Cairo, 2023
In addition: Date data from FAOSTAT, https://www.fao.org/3/Y4360E/y4360e07.htm
Number of food processing companies: https://emiratesfoodindustries.ae/
Date production data from 1990s: nationmaster.com/nmx/timeseries UAE dates production
Agricultural Production and Area
Ref. 9: Groundwater recharge estimation using in-situ and GRACE observations in the eastern region of the United Arab Emirates Alghafli K. et al (2023)
Quotation from paper: “Rhodes Grass was the major crop grown from 2005 to 2010, until the subsidies were ceased in 2010. In 2012, the cultivation of Rhodes grass declined by 90 %, whereas the cultivation of alfalfa declined by 75 % compared to the respective levels in 2010 (Fragaszy and McDonnell, 2016).”
Ref. 10: Impacts of farming practices on water resources sustainability for arid lands: the case of Abu Dhabi Tenaiji et al, 2019
Additional from paper: “Subsidies were instituted to incentivize agricultural development. These subsidies included unregulated and free groundwater, and free provision of drilling and excavation services, seeds, fertilizers and fuels, as well as guaranteed price off-take support, which distorted the real cost of agricultural production (Bazza, 2005; Woertz, 2011).”
Additional:
For discussion on definition for food security: Food security in the United Arab Emirates: External cereal supply risks. Ali, Manikas & Sundarakani (2022)
Map of UAE
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-arab-emirates/ ●
