Watch: First look inside Emirates’ Bustanica, world’s largest vertical farm set to hit the UAE market by month-end

Watch: First look inside Emirates’ Bustanica, world’s largest vertical farm set to hit the UAE market by month-end

Dubai: By the end of this month, UAE residents will be able to savour ‘ready-to-eat’ greens produced at Bustanica, the world’s largest vertical farm recently opened by Emirates Crop One (ECO), it was announced on Monday. While passengers of Emirates and almost 100 other airlines served by Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC) are the first to fork these crunchy leafy veggies in salads and garnishes offered onboard their flights, the greens - which do not require washing - will hit the local retail stores for general consumers by the end of August. This was revealed by officials of Emirates Crop One, a joint venture between EKFC and Crop One, a US-based industry leader in technology-driven indoor vertical farming, during a media tour that provided a first look inside the innovative indoor farm. Bustanica, means your garden or orchard in Arabic, said Robert Fellows, Production Director, Bustanica. “The facility is designed to produce in excess of 1 million kilos a year. We are going to market with seven different cultivars (plants)—four lettuces and three non-lettuces - as well as airline products,” he told Gulf News during the tour. Located near Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport, the massive hydroponic farm