Receiving an investment of 40 million dollars, Bustanica opens the doors of the world's largest hydroponic farm. The facility is the first vertical farm of Emirates Crop One, a joint venture of Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), one of the world's largest catering operations and serving more than 100 airlines, and Crop One, which leads the industry with its technology-driven vertical farming operations in indoor space.
Located close to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central, the 30.600 square meter facility is set to produce over 95 million kilos of high quality greens per year using 1% less water than traditional agriculture. In the facility, where more than 1 million cultivated plants are grown continuously, 3000 kilos of products are obtained per day.
Bustanica operates with a highly specialized team of cultivation technologists, engineers, horticulturalists and plant scientists, leveraging powerful technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and advanced methods. The continuous production cycle ensures that agricultural products are very fresh and clean and grown without pesticides, herbicides and chemicals.
Passengers traveling with Emirates and other airlines will be able to taste delicious greens such as lettuce, arugula, mixed salad and spinach on their flights from July. Bustanica won't just be about creating a salad revolution in the sky. Consumers in the UAE will soon be able to purchase these greens from the nearest supermarkets. Bustanica also plans to switch to vegetable and fruit production.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO and Chairman of Emirates Airline and Group, said in a statement: “Long-term food security and self-sufficiency are vital to the economic growth of any country and the same is true for the UAE. Considering the challenges regarding arable land and climate, we are faced with challenges unique to our region. Bustanica ushers in a new era of innovations and investments that constitute important steps for sustainable growth and are aligned with our country's well-defined food and water security strategies.
“Emirates Flight Catering continually invests in cutting-edge technologies to delight passengers, optimize operations and reduce its environmental footprint. Bustanica helps secure our supply chain while enabling our passengers to consume locally sourced, nutritious agricultural products. By bringing the place of production closer to the place of consumption, we shorten the journey of food products from farm to table. I congratulate the Bustanica team for their outstanding achievements so far and the global standards and reference points they have brought to cultivation technique.”
The farm's closed-loop system is designed to circulate water through the plants to maximize water use and productivity. When the water evaporates, it is reprocessed and returned to the system, thus saving 250 million liters of water every year compared to traditional open-air agriculture, which yields the same yield.
Bustanica will have zero impact on the world's threatened soil resources, dramatically reduce its dependence on water, and produce year-round crops unaffected by weather and pests. Consumers who buy Bustanica greens from supermarkets will be able to consume them straight out of the packaging. Washing can damage the leaves and invite bacteria.
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