The government is actively targeting the Middle Eastern market by recently holding the 'K-Smart Farm Roadshow' consecutively in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 15th that, together with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), it held the K-Smart Farm Roadshow in the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia for a week starting from the 7th.
An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained, "Following last year, interest in K-Smart Farms continues in the Middle East to overcome harsh climatic conditions and achieve food security," adding, "Through this roadshow, 369 export consultations were conducted between 12 domestic smart farm companies and over 50 local buyers, creating additional opportunities for future export expansion."
On the 13th (local time), domestic smart farm companies and local buyers are consulting at the 'K-Smart Farm Roadshow' held in Saudi Arabia.
This event was promoted to solidify the position of K-Smart Farms in the Middle Eastern market amid growing interest in Korean smart farms following last year's summit economic diplomacy. In the UAE, a Korean pavilion was established for the first time at AgraME, the Middle East's largest agricultural exhibition attended by more than 5,000 buyers and investors in 2023. In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, business forums and one-on-one export consultations were held to introduce Korea's smart farm technology and continue discussions on future export contracts.
Notably, companies with prior export experience in the Middle East, such as Nongshim and Midbar, participated in this roadshow to seek opportunities for export expansion. Nongshim, which has signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for exports in the Middle East to date, including exporting container-type vertical farms to Oman in 2021, strengthened cooperation with existing buyers while discovering new ones. Midbar, which signed an export contract with a UAE company at last year's K-Smart Farm Roadshow, actively promoted its 'AirFarm' technology, which won the CES 2024 Best Innovation Award, to achieve additional results.
Local government agencies also participated in the roadshow. A national research institute under the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture presented trends in major smart farm projects in Saudi Arabia at the business forum and requested active participation from Korean companies. The Kuwait Public Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs also conducted direct export consultations with domestic companies. A representative from the Kuwait Public Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs conveyed to the Korean government, "Korean smart farms have already proven excellent competitiveness in advanced agricultural fields such as vertical farms in the UAE and Saudi Arabia," and expressed hope to discover outstanding Korean companies through this roadshow and strengthen cooperation with Kuwait as well.
Lee Sang-man, Director of the Food and Agriculture Innovation Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "The entry of K-Smart Farms into the Middle East is still at an early stage, and continuous growth is expected based on the private sector's outstanding technology," adding, "We are actively promoting government-to-government (G2G) cooperation with the Middle East, such as establishing a pilot greenhouse in Saudi Arabia and operating a smart farm cooperation committee with Qatar, and we will support companies' market entry based on this."
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