Growtech Middle East highlights UAE agriculture and food resilience

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Dubai: Growtech Middle East, formerly known as Agra Middle East, opened on Monday at Dubai World Trade Centre in its first edition under the new name, with the UAE National Agriculture Centre (NAC), the event’s Strategic Government Partner, and Dubai Municipality, leading the opening. The three-day event runs until October, 28, 2026 in Hall 8.

Marwan Bin Ghalita, Director General, Dubai Municipality and Sultan Salem Al Shamsi, Director General, National Agriculture Centre, opened the show, before touring the exhibition floor and meeting exhibitors.

The opening builds on NAC’s partnership with Growtech Middle East, announced earlier this month, and reflects the direction set by the UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051, under which the country continues to invest in advanced farming technologies, sustainable production systems and resilient food supply chains.

Sultan Salem Al Shamsi said, “Farmers first - this is the principle that guides our work, shapes our partnerships, and defines our success.” He added, “Growtech Middle East brings together technologies and expertise that open up significant opportunities for the agriculture sector. Our role is to connect these capabilities with our farmers’ needs and translate knowledge into practical, economically viable solutions.”

Alan Kelly, Commercial & Strategy Director, inD Group, said, “Growtech Middle East brings international expertise and technology to the UAE’s agriculture and food security industry, and opening day has put global providers, government and buyers in the same room. With the UAE National Agriculture Centre as our Strategic Government Partner, we are creating a direct route for proven solutions to reach the UAE market.”

Food sovereignty: The conference programme runs alongside the exhibition across three knowledge platforms: the Future of Food Resilience Summit, the MENA Regenerative Agriculture Summit and free CPD-certified technical seminars. Day one is themed “Setting the Vision: Farming for Resilience and Food Sovereignty” and is led by the Future Food Resilience Summit, which runs across Days 1 and 2.

The summit opened with remarks from Sultan Salem Al Shamsi on placing farmers at the heart of food resilience. Speaking about how NAC has worked with the sector, he said, “Through more than eighty meetings with stakeholders across the agriculture sector, we engaged with over four hundred farmers from across the UAE, listening to their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. We are committed to staying close to our farmers, understanding the realities of their daily work, and involving them in developing the programmes and services that support them.”

On the role of technology, Sultan Salem Al Shamsi said, “Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly no longer just a technology of the future. It is now a practical tool for advancing agriculture and enhancing the sector’s efficiency and sustainability. Data and smart technologies enable farmers to make more precise decisions, helping them improve the quality of their produce, increase productivity, and use resources, particularly water, more efficiently.”

He added that the Centre aims for thirty per cent of farms to adopt climate-smart solutions by 2030.

He then joined Dr Tarifa Ajeif AlZaabi, Director-General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), and Hassan Halaway, Group CEO, Elite Agro Holding, for a fireside chat on “The Future of Food Resilience: From Global Dependence to Regional Strength.” The discussion covered the role of UAE farms in national food resilience, getting arid-climate research into practice, and building trust in Emirati produce through UAE G.A.P.

The day’s sessions covered regional farming, farm data, agri-finance, AI-powered food systems and sustainable agriculture in arid regions. Free CPD-certified technical seminars also ran on day one, including a Food Landscape Think Tank led by The Waste Lab, a session from Khalifa University and a poultry production session with the Emirates Veterinary Association.

On the exhibition floor, exhibitors are showcasing greenhouse technologies, irrigation systems, plant nutrition, agriculture machinery, poultry, livestock, aquaculture and more, including international technology providers introducing their solutions to the UAE market, under the theme “Powering the Future of Agriculture Growth and Food Security in the Middle East.”

Engin Er, Exhibition Director, Growtech Events, said, “This is our first edition as Growtech Middle East, previously Agra ME, and the focus from here is growth: for our exhibitors, for our visitors and for the agriculture and food resilience industry across the region. We are pleased with the turnout on day one and thank our sponsors, exhibitors and visitors for making this edition possible.”

Looking ahead: The Future Food Resilience Summit continues tomorrow, and Growtech Middle East concludes on 28 October with the MENA Regenerative Agriculture Summit, created with Event Impact Partner Goumbook, focused on soil health, resource efficiency and climate resilience.

Growtech Middle East thanks its sponsors for their support: Nature for Environmental and Agricultural Solutions as Gold Sponsor; Enjaz Trading, Agricultural Technology Co. and Gulf Aquaculture as Silver Sponsors; and MONTEL as Associate Sponsor.