'KOTRA and Ministry of Agriculture Support' Smart Farm Consortium Wins Contract to Build Vertical Farm in Kuwait

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] KOTRA announced on the 10th that it has supported the domestic smart farm consortium in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to secure a contract for the construction of a vertical farm between domestic companies and a Kuwaiti client.

Through this contract, the smart farm consortium composed of domestic companies will build a 700㎡ vertical farm by December. A vertical farm refers to an apartment-style factory that cultivates crops suitable for hydroponic farming. Starting from March next year, the consortium plans to jointly cultivate mainly leafy vegetables with the client and sell them locally.

Kuwait utilizes about 10,000 hectares (㏊), equivalent to 0.6% of its total land area, as farmland, resulting in a high dependence on imported agricultural products. The soil has low organic matter and moisture content, and natural water resources necessary for irrigation are scarce. KOTRA identified the demand from local companies aiming to overcome Kuwait’s agricultural conditions using smart farm technology and formed a smart farm consortium consisting of domestic companies. Over the past year, KOTRA has supported the project by establishing a project bidding strategy, arranging video consultations between domestic companies and the client, and providing proposal writing consulting to secure the local project.

With the recent global increase in demand for smart farm adoption, KOTRA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plan to expand support projects for overseas smart farm market entry this year, including conducting market research, hosting video consultation meetings, and participating in overseas exhibitions. Kim Sangmuk, Head of KOTRA’s Innovation Growth Division, said, "We timely identified local market demand and exported our smart agricultural solutions to barren agricultural lands," adding, "This is significant as it marks our entry into the global market in the digital and green New Deal sectors promoted by the government."