"Strawberries Grown in the Middle Eastern Desert"... Korean Company Exports Smart Farm Worth $3.6 Million to UAE

Proof-of-Concept Conducted with Support from KOTRA Dubai Trade Center
Cultivation Technologies Adapted for Desert Climate
Smart Agriculture Development Accelerates Due to War

Amid growing concerns over food supply chain stability—especially in Gulf countries that struggled with food imports due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East war—exports of K-smart farms are gaining momentum.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced that on July 7 (local time), Agro Solution Korea signed a plant factory-style smart farm export contract worth 2.6 million dollars (approximately 3.6 billion won) with UAE buyer Alfafa through the smart farm export promotion program.

Since 2020, the Ministry and KOTRA have jointly operated the "Agri-Industry Export Promotion Program," providing comprehensive support to participating companies—from identifying local demand and connecting buyers to conducting overseas proof-of-concept (PoC) projects, commercialization, and follow-up negotiations.

As part of this initiative, Agro Solution Korea received support from the Dubai Trade Center, which specializes in smart farm exports, and carried out a PoC project in 2024 worth 800,000 dollars. During the roughly one-year demonstration period, key strawberry cultivation equipment was supplied from Korea to the UAE, and cultivation technology suitable for desert climates was implemented, successfully proving productivity and quality. Based on these results, the company achieved a main contract this year worth 2.6 million dollars.

Exterior view of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). KOTRA.

KOTRA stated, "This contract is especially meaningful as it was achieved amid heightened geopolitical instability due to the Middle East war and the growing focus on food security in the region."

According to the UAE’s "National Food Security Strategy 2051," the country relies on imports for over 90% of its food needs. Even before the war, smart agriculture was being developed as a national strategic industry, and the ongoing conflict is expected to accelerate this trend further.

Smart farms represent a flagship export model for Korea’s agricultural industry, as they can export not just equipment but also design, construction, and operation systems. As the importance of food security increases, the global smart agriculture market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 15%, reaching 8.37 billion dollars by 2033.

Interest in adopting K-smart farms has been confirmed not only in the Middle East, but also in regions such as ASEAN, Australia, and the CIS. To expand K-smart farm exports, KOTRA and the Ministry are holding export roadshows in promising overseas markets, facilitating project discovery, arranging local demonstration projects, and supporting buyer identification and partnerships. The overseas consortium program for K-smart farms is also being expanded to maximize contract acquisition.

In the first half of this year alone, KOTRA and the Ministry supported three initiatives: participation in the Azerbaijan Caspian Agri-Industry Exhibition (May), the Eastern Europe Smart Farm Roadshow (May), and the Laos Roadshow (June). These efforts resulted in 15 MOUs (totaling 4.01 million dollars) and three export contracts (totaling 2.87 million dollars). In the second half of the year, additional roadshows are planned for Australia, China, and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam), as well as Argentina. There are also plans to attract major buyers in conjunction with Boom-Up Korea, a comprehensive export marketing exhibition and consulting event.

Myeonghee Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the Industrial Innovation and Growth Division at KOTRA, stated, "While overseas interest in K-smart farms combined with AI is growing, the food security issue triggered by the Middle East war is acting as a catalyst. By leveraging our global network, we will provide end-to-end support—from demand discovery and local partner matching to demonstration and commercialization—to boost simultaneous exports of K-smart farm equipment and systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.