Dubai: Water, a highly scarce resource in the Middle East, is beginning to impact the costs of farming and landscaping.
But local manufacturers are countering the problem by introducing products that can minimise water usage.
“Using water efficient agricultural products can cut down infrastructure costs by 20 per cent and irrigation costs by half,” said Konstantin Mitsiou, managing director at Gulf Perlite, a manufacturer of agricultural supplies.
The UAE-based manufacturer produces perlite, or volcanic rock, that can reduce water usage by 60 per cent. Mitsiou says the product, aimed at hydroponic farms and landscapers, was introduced by them to the local market six months ago.
“[Farmers] used to import it from countries where it is widely used, like the US, but they can buy it locally now,” he said.
Lack of awareness
A recurring problem facing agribusinesses is the lack of awareness of conserving water. The Middle East has scarce water resources, a problem further intensified by the growing agricultural, commercial and residential use of water, according to Nicholas Lodge, managing partner at Clarity, a consultancy focused on investments in food, water and energy.
The GCC countries have been investing in water desalination projects worth $100 billion from 2011 until 2016 to produce more water, Lodge said.
“There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done,” Mitsiou said.
Zeoplant are selling their water retaining soil additive product in the country since 2003, which has received “good demand” from project developers, said Ralf Stahl, managing partner at Zeoplant. Still, “the country needs to be aware of water efficient agriculture,” said Stahl.
“Farmers are not motivated to cut down water usage because they get the water free from the government,” he added.
Other local companies introducing water retaining products include Gulf Landscape and Irrigation Systems and Fitco.
Sarah Algethami is a trainee at Gulf News
