Emirates Flight Catering Opens World’s Largest Vertical Farm in Dubai

• The largest hydroponic farm in the world has opened its doors in Dubai.
• The 330,000 sq ft plant is situated in Dubai World Central close to Al Maktoum International Airport.
• Produce is grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals.

The largest hydroponic farm in the world, supported by a $40 million investment, has opened its doors in Bustanica.

The facility serves as the first vertical farm for Emirates Crop One, a joint venture between Crop One, a leader in technology-driven indoor vertical farming, and Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), one of the largest catering companies in the world serving more than 100 airlines.

The 330,000 sq ft plant, which is situated in Dubai World Central close to Al Maktoum International Airport, is designed to produce more than 1,000,000 kilos of premium leafy greens annually while using 95% less water than traditional agriculture. The facility grows more than 1 million cultivars (plants) at any given time, with a daily output of 3,000 kg.

Powerful technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and sophisticated procedures, as well as a highly specialised internal staff composed of agronomy specialists, engineers, horticulturists, and plant scientists, are what drive Bustanica. The produce is grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals and is extremely fresh and clean.

From July, travellers on Emirates and other airlines can look forward to enjoying these delectable lush greens aboard their flights, including lettuce, arugula, mixed salad greens, and spinach. In the UAE, customers will soon be able to add these greens to their shopping carts at the closest supermarkets, so Bustanica is revolutionising more than just salads in the sky. Bustanica also intends to increase its production and retail of fresh produce.

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“Long-term food security and self-sufficiency are crucial to the economic success of any country, and the UAE is no different,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group. Given the restrictions on arable land and the climate, we face particular difficulties in our area. Bustanica heralds in a new era of innovation and investments, which are crucial measures for sustainable growth and are in line with our nation’s clearly defined policies for the security of our food and water.

“Emirates Flight Catering continually makes investments in cutting-edge technology to astonish customers, optimise business processes, and reduce our environmental impact. Bustanica contributes to the safety of our supply chain and guarantees that our consumers may eat healthy product that is produced locally. The distance between food production and consumption is being shortened by doing this. Congratulations to the Bustanica team for their outstanding accomplishments to date and for creating benchmarks and standards for agronomy around the world.

Crop One’s chief executive officer, Craig Ratajczyk, said: “We’re happy to celebrate this major milestone with our joint venture partner, Emirates Flight Catering, after extensive planning and building and overcoming the unforeseen hurdles of the pandemic. This first large format farm is the result of our dedication to building a sustainable future to satisfy the need for local, fresh food around the world. This brand-new building serves as an example of what is feasible globally.

The closed-loop system at the farm is built to move water through the plants as efficiently as as possible. When the water evaporates, it is captured and recycled back into the system, using 250 million less litres of water annually than typical outdoor farming would use to produce the same amount of food.

Bustanica will have no negative effects on the vulnerable soil resources of the world, a drastically decreased need on water, and year-round yields unaffected by weather and pests. Bustanica greens are sold in stores, and customers can eat them directly from the bag because cleaning them can harm the leaves and introduce impurities.

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