ADQ, E20 Investment partner to launch animal health platform

Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, ADQ and E20 Investment, a UAE-based agribusiness investment company have joined hands to establish a new animal health platform in Abu Dhabi.

The animal health platform will initially comprise an animal vaccine manufacturing facility and a complex with two state-of-the-art animal hospitals. Once operational, the facilities will further enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as a regional leader in high-end veterinary services for horses and camels while producing advanced animal vaccines for the Middle East and North Africa region.

Fahad Al Qassim, executive director, Healthcare & Life Sciences Portfolio at ADQ, said: “Leveraging our healthcare and life sciences expertise, we have identified an opportunity to create an adjacent platform in animal health. By creating a joint venture with E20, we will capitalize on Abu Dhabi’s strong market potential for animal vaccine production and maintaining the health and welfare of prized animals, such as horses and camels.”

Sultan Al Jaberi, CEO of E20 Investment, said: “Together with ADQ, we will bring world-class vaccine technology to the UAE and join hands with our partner to foster local production and serve lucrative markets in the MENA region and beyond.”

Food and agriculture investments

In other news, ADQ has been rapidly expanding its food and agriculture portfolio. In March, ADQ announced that it had entered an agreement to acquire a majority equity stake in Unifrutti Group, a global producer and distributor of  fresh produce.

Unifrutti is involved in the production, trade and distribution of more than 100 varieties of fresh produce including apples, bananas, cherries, grapes and citrus fruits. With approximately 560,000 tons of fresh fruit sold annually and more than 14,000 hectares of farms across four continents, the group serves more than 500 customers in 50 countries.

Gil Adotevi, executive director of Food and Agriculture at ADQ, said: “We are developing our food and agriculture portfolio with the aim of generating strong financial returns while bolstering food resilience in the UAE. Our investment in Unifrutti would enable ADQ to develop a global platform for fresh produce that complements our other portfolio companies throughout the food value chain. We believe our long-term strategic investment will help accelerate Unifrutti’s next phase of growth and build on its strong position as a leader in the global fresh produce sector.”

ADQ also has investments in Louis Dreyfus Company, a leading vertically integrated company in the food, feed, fibre and ingredients sectors; Silal,  the Abu Dhabi-based fresh produce and agri-tech company; Al Dahra Holding, an international conglomerate based in Abu Dhabi specialising in agribusiness; and Agthia Group, one of the region’s leading food and beverage groups.