UAE's Emirates Flight Catering to invest $40 mln to build farming facility

Emirates Flight Catering plans to co-invest $40 million to build the world’s largest vertical farming facility near Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai world central.

Emirates said that the deal is an important milestone for the Emirates Group, for Dubai, and for the UAE and aligns with the UAE’s drive for more agricultural self-sufficiency.

When complete, the vertical farm facility will cover 130,000 square feet but have a production output equivalent to 900 acres of farmland. At full production, the facility will harvest three U.S. tonnes, 2,700 kg, of high-quality, herbicide-free and pesticide-free leafy greens daily, using 99 percent less water than outdoor fields.

The construction of the facility is scheduled to start in November and will take approximately one year to complete.