Dubai – Mubasher: Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), which is 90% owned by Emirates Airline, unveiled plans to establish a 12,077 square metre farm in Dubai.
EKFC will team up with US-based Crop One Holdings, the world's leading vertical farm operator, to set up the joint-venture project that will harvest up to 2.7 tonnes of leafy greens per day when it reaches full capacity.
The farm will be built near Al Maktoum International Airport with AED146 million ($40 million) in investments. Construction of the above-ground farm will commence next November and is expected to be completed within one year, EKFC noted.
The farm will help food import-dependant UAE to meet its “drive for more agricultural self-sufficiency,” chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told Construction Week Online.
“Introducing the latest technology to our operations, we secure our own supply chain of high quality and locally-sourced fresh vegetables, while significantly reducing our environmental footprint,” EKFC’s chief executive officer, Saeed Mohammed, commented.
