Page 49 - AA 2026

UAE

From 2019 to 2023, the United Arab Emirates emerged vertical farms, where production efficiency exceeds
as Africa’s primary investor with USD 110 billion in traditional field farming by up to 12 times per square
committed projects, including renewable energy meter. These controlled environment operations enable
integration for desert agriculture. These investments producers to achieve higher profit margins through export
facilitate agricultural technology transfer, enhance premium pricing, despite increased capital investments.
supply chain stability, and create re-export opportunities
through Jebel Ali Port. The Fruits and Vegetables segment is projected to grow
National Subsidy for Desalination-Powered Irrigation at a 4.86% CAGR through 2031. Bustanica’s operations
exemplify this growth, with plans to produce 1 million
The government provides reimbursements of 30-50%
on capital costs for solar-powered desalination units, kg of leafy greens annually while reducing water
reducing water costs by up to USD 1,200 per hectare consumption by 95%. This local production supports
for large agricultural operations. Fertiglobe’s complete supermarket supply chains and airline catering services,
transition to desalinated water in 2024 demonstrates reducing delivery times and product waste. The Grains
the feasibility of large-scale implementation. While and Cereals segment maintains limited production due to
subsidies reduce operating costs and enable agriculture high water requirements, though Sharjah’s experimental
on marginal lands, the long-term environmental wheat cultivation shows potential for local bread-flour
sustainability depends on accelerated renewable energy
adoption to offset the energy consumption of reverse- production. In the forage sector, farmers are transitioning
osmosis systems. to salt-tolerant crops like blue panic grass, reducing
dependence on desalinated water while maintaining
Soil Salinization from Saline Groundwater and High
Evapotranspiration livestock feed supply.
Soil salinity affects 77% of United Arab Emirates Geography Analysis
agricultural land at moderate-to-high levels, while 96% of The UAE agriculture market operates through distinct
groundwater wells face severe irrigation restrictions. The emirate-level capabilities within a unified federal
increasing soil salinity compels farmers to use expensive policy framework. Abu Dhabi dominates large-scale
desalinated water or adopt soilless cultivation methods.
Date palm oases in Liwa and central Sharjah experience greenhouse production, supported by sovereign fund
higher crop mortality rates, leading to experiments with investments and access to desalination infrastructure.
salt-tolerant grasses for animal feed. Addressing these The emirate accounts for 60% of controlled-environment
challenges requires extensive soil treatment through agriculture capacity, with its vertical farming facilities
gypsum leaching, drainage system installation, and serving domestic markets and Gulf export channels.
increased reverse-osmosis infrastructure, all requiring Dubai emphasizes agricultural technology development
significant capital investment.
through free-zone policies that enable startups to develop
Dependence on Imported Seed Genetics and Inputs and scale their innovations. The emirate processes USD

The country imports more than 85% of its vegetable 7.5 billion in agricultural product re-exports through
seeds and over 90% of greenhouse films from the the Jebel Ali logistics network. The northern emirates,
European Union and Asia, creating vulnerability to particularly Ras Al Khaimah, utilize their higher rainfall
currency fluctuations and supply chain disruptions. for date palm cultivation and open-field vegetable
This dependence restricts the ability to adapt cultivars production, while implementing precision irrigation
quickly to local growing conditions. While the National
Agriculture Centre conducts research programs to systems.
develop domestic germplasm, these initiatives are still in The “Plant the Emirates” program targets a 25% increase
preliminary testing phases. in organic farming area and 20% growth in productive
Segment Analysis farms by 2030, while implementing unified agricultural
extension services and certification protocols. The
By Crop Type: Fruits and Vegetables Segment Show
Varied Growth and Innovation harmonization of water pricing across emirates reduces
regional disparities and promotes hydroponic adoption
Specialty and high-value crops account for 40.18%
of the UAE agriculture market share in 2025. Growers in areas with reliable power infrastructure. The market’s
have increased date-palm production through precision sustainable development requires alignment between
irrigation systems and drone pollination technologies. desalination capacity expansion and renewable energy
The segment includes berry cultivation in LED-powered implementation to avoid increased carbon emissions.
Arab Agriculture 2026 47