Here’s how Right Farm is tackling GCC region’s food security challenges

How do you see the growth of the agtech market in the Middle East?
We have recently seen advancements and investments in the agtech and food tech space in the region. Farming with the aid of technology, be it vertical farming, smart irrigation systems, crop monitoring systems, and others, are some of the key initiatives the government and private sector are participating in developing. Foodtech has also been on the rise with the advent of platforms, marketplaces, aggregators and cloud kitchen software developers and operators gaining traction in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Looking ahead, I believe there will be more focus on solutions with a more traditional approach to business with agricultural optimisation and supply chain operations being upgraded and scaled via technology, directly addressing challenges in food security.
 
Tell us in brief about your company and its business model.
Right farm is a Dubai-based B2B e-commerce and supply chain company that sources food from farmers for food service businesses, addressing challenges in the region’s procurement and supply chain of fresh produce. Since our inception six months ago, we have been growing at an average rate of 2x month-on-month in topline revenue. We service over 200 foodservice outlets, including Kitopi, AWJ, Gourmet Gulf, Poke Zone and Studio One Hotel, to name a few, with a customer retention rate of 87 per cent and have recently expanded across the UAE. 

Post pandemic, what has been your business strategy?
We have validated a few pain points regarding fresh produce procurement by food service outlets and have achieved product-market fit with our solution. We aim to ensure that food service outlets uninterruptedly have access to the fruits and vegetables they need for their cuisine type. This is done by securing control over the supply chain from the moment the produce leaves the farm until it reaches the kitchen with the chef. The pandemic has taught us that securing your supply network, both locally and globally, is key for food and, specifically fresh produce.
 
How are you tackling the GCC region’s food security challenges?
We source local and regional produce from farms and work on sustainability efforts with our partners and customers to eliminate our networks’ food wastage, as well as connect our supply network globally with our demand network in the UAE (and soon Saudi Arabia). More investment opportunities are emerging in the agtech industry across the GCC to find sustainable solutions for food security challenges. According to a recent report by Oxford Business Group in partnership with the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development, many strategies focusing on agricultural innovation and food production are taking shape across the region to help combat food security challenges through new agtech solutions. This is aligned with our vision as we look to maintain our focus on sustainable agriculture for a more healthy and secure future for the food industry.
 
Talking about smart agriculture, what do you think the industry will look like in the next decade?
The technology in agriculture is still nascent, and with the current developments happening, we could see a wider range of crops being produced in vertical farms. Local production in the GCC will increase and a more data-driven agriculture operation will be born.

Elie Skaf is the co-founder and CEO at Right Farm