UAE Launches 400-Hectare Wheat Farm to Enhance Food Security Amid Supply Chain Disruptions

 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken a significant step towards enhancing its food security by launching a 400-hectare wheat farm in Mleiha, Sharjah. The desert farm is hard to miss, with eight green circles that use desalinated water for irrigation, highlighting the country's commitment to addressing its lack of arable land. The UAE imports about 90% of its food, making it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, which the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war exacerbated. These events prompted the government to take action by launching the wheat farm in 2022.

The Mleiha farm is expected to produce some 1,600 tonnes of wheat annually, which is a small but significant step towards achieving the country's long-term goal of increasing its farming industry. Khalifa Alteneiji, chairman of Sharjah's Department of Agriculture and Livestock, stated that the lack of arable land was the driving force behind the government's decision to initiate wheat farming. He added that the UAE plans to expand the farm to 1,400 hectares by 2025 and eventually to 1,900 hectares.

The farm uses cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence and thermal imaging to gather weather and soil data to regulate irrigation rates and monitor growth. The project also includes experimental fields of 35 different types of wheat from around the world, spread across two hectares to explore compatibility with Emirati soil and weather. The Mleiha farm is pesticide-free, and no genetically modified seeds are used.

The project aims to recycle water and minimize waste, which aligns with the UAE's ambitious plans for sustainable agriculture. As the project scales up, officials expect the energy costs of producing the 18,000 cubic meters of desalinated water needed per day for irrigation to decrease. The government hopes that the cost of this water and the final product will be similar to the market's prices, making the venture profitable in the long term.

In conclusion, the UAE's Mleiha farm is a vital step towards achieving the country's long-term goal of achieving food security. The wheat farm, which uses advanced technology to enhance yields and minimize waste, has enormous potential to boost the country's domestic agricultural production. The government's ambitious plans to expand the farm and experiment with different types of wheat will contribute to the UAE's efforts to secure its food supply and become more self-sufficient.