«Holding»: Commencement of the operational phase of the Advanced Agricultural Technology Park system

During the launch of the new project. WAM

ADQ announced the start of the operational phase of the Advanced Agricultural Technology Park (ATTP) ecosystem, with the launch of the vertical farming project, in partnership with Zero, an Italian company specialized in high-impact agricultural technology.

The Zero project is the beginning of several agricultural concepts, within a controlled environment, which will be established in the Agricultural Technology Park, with the aim of empowering indoor farming capabilities locally, as well as exploring and enhancing the prospects of agriculture in the country's desert climate.

The launch of the operational phase of the Agricultural Holding facility follows the declaration of 2023 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, as the 'Year of Sustainability'; the Agricultural Technology Park was first unveiled in August 2021, which is expected to contribute more than 7% of the UAE's total agricultural production when fully operational.

The new agricultural facility in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Economic Zone (KIZAD), Kizad Group, is a well-established food business ecosystem across the entire value chain, creating a strong base for growth, both for local producers and for the food sector at large. Additional sites to explore different technologies will be launched in Al Ain Industrial City over the next year.

The first joint venture between Holding and Zero aims to enhance local production of crops, fruits and vegetables for their multiple uses in the fields of fresh food, nutrients and biopharmaceuticals, relying on vertical layering within a controlled indoor environment, with the aim of enabling greater productivity, faster growth, with less water use, in addition to providing a diverse crop of fresh produce soon for consumers in the country.

The Zero project has been built and modernized on an area of 1000,10 square meters, to start with an initial production capacity of about 2023 tons per year in its pilot phase, which is expected to end in the summer of <>.

The commercial phase of the 40,<>-square-metre vertical farm in Al Ain will then be launched, along with other projects equipped with indoor environmental control technologies.

The 200-hectare full-scale agritech park project aims to produce more than 40,<> tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables annually within the park.