To be built with a cost of €150m, the 160,000m² indoor farm is expected to produce about 10,000 tonnes of fresh food annually
Largest indoor farm in the world to be built in Abu Dhabi. (Credit: GrowGroup IFS BV.)
A joint venture between GrowGroup IFS, a Dutch developer of indoor farms, and UAE-based RainMakers Capital Investment is set to build a new indoor farm in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Claimed to be the largest indoor farm in the world, GreenFactory Emirates aims to produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh food annually on a 17.5-hectare plot with a cultivation area of 160,000m².
The total estimated cost of the project is AED650m (€150m) and is being planned in different phases in three years. The first phase is expected to be operational by October 2021.
The new indoor farm will be developed using an advanced growing system from the Netherlands.
It will include a combination of vertical and flat farming to solve the restrictions posed by the extreme climates in the UAE on regular cultivation.
The indoor farm will enable in cultivating high-quality vegetables which are 100% pesticide-free, all around the year.
JV plans to build several indoor farms across the world
The JV also has plans to build indoor farms in other regions of the world where extreme climates pose a challenge to normal cultivation.
The new facility claims to save up to 95% of water consumption compared to regular methods of cultivation along with reducing up to 40% of carbon footprint. By growing fresh produce locally, the farm can also help in reducing waste in various other areas.
GreenFactory Emirates will also include a research and development component that can help to increase the production beyond the 56 current varieties of lettuces, leafy greens and herbs and kale
It will collect real-time data for optimum production and will further use the data in future global expansion.