Elite Agro maximises local food production

Elite Agro maximises local food production

Elite Agro (EAG), a leading UAE producer and distributor of fresh produce, is increasing its supply of locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to create a two-fold benefit of strengthening national food security, while reducing its carbon footprint in the market.

Currently, only 20% of fruits and vegetables consumed in the UAE are grown locally1; the rest are imported from around the world. According to the Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre and Dubai Statistics Centre, the combined 2019 local production of crops, fruits, and vegetables amounted to 523,297 tonnes.

Fruits and vegetables grown around the world need to be stored for days and have lengthy transport times before they reach UAE supermarket shelves. This means reduced freshness and a higher carbon footprint.

By producing and supplying fresh produce locally, EAG saved 13,258 tonnes of carbon emissions from tomatoes when compared to airfreight imports from Holland and Spain. It also saved 1,501 tonnes of carbon emissions for equivalent airfreight imports of blueberries from the US, and is set to save at least 425 tonnes of carbon emissions for equivalent sea freight imports of potatoes from Egypt this year.[1]

The UAE’s agricultural industry has been gradually increasing its contribution to the local market in recent years, in line