iFarm

2021: Launch of production in Qatar

At the end of May 2021, a Russian startup in the field of creating technologies for growing vegetables, berries and greens iFarm announced plans to launch production in Qatar. To do this, a cooperation agreement was concluded with the local company Sadarah.

The partners agreed to jointly grow natural products in difficult climatic conditions in Qatar. The first stage of cooperation involves the organization of production in Al-Haura. The vertical farm will be the first in the Persian Gulf to be managed by artificial intelligence and use drones to monitor crop health and manage yields.

iFarm launches production in Qatar

As part of the second phase of the joint project, partners intend to engage in the commercial supply of products to the Qatar market and the expansion of vertical crop growing technology to other farms in the country and neighboring states.

Sadarah and iFarm believe that the cooperation of companies will help Qatar reduce serious dependence on food imports and bring the country closer to achieving 70% self-sufficiency in food production by 2023, as indicated in Qatar's National Food Security Strategy.

This partnership brings to our country one of the most advanced vertical crop growing technologies in the world. Combining the capabilities of Agrico and iFarm will allow consumers to supply even more fresh products on the same day, "says Sadarah/Agrico President Ahmed Hussein Al-Khalaf, whose words are quoted on the iFarm website. - Strawberries garden and most varieties of lettuce are currently 100% imported and in many cases are of poor quality and do not differ in freshness. As soon as the development is ready, we will supply the freshest berry and lettuce to the market.[1]

2019

The Russian startup iFarm raised $1 million from the venture capital fund Gagarin Capital and a group of investors. The company develops modular automated farms for year-round cultivation of fruit vegetables, salads and berries.

iFarm introduced artificial intelligence into agrotechnical processes, which allows you to quickly launch the production of vegetables, berries and greens in the urban environment. The startup product is a designer with a set of consumables - seeds, fertilizers and sensors. Such a designer can be placed in empty rooms, basements and on the roofs of buildings, according to Forbes^[2]

The cultivation and subsequent distribution of greens and fruits takes place under the control of the cloud system. According to representatives of the company, iFarm technologies significantly save electricity, water and fertilizers without the use of pesticides and additional chemical treatment of fruits for long-term storage, since delivery to shops and restaurants occurs within an hour after removal from the bed.

The project was launched in 2017, and the first sales of equipment and deliveries of final products to restaurants and stores were carried out in 2018. According to the publication, the funds raised will be used to scale up, build new facilities, to international development and attract funding from foreign funds.

You look also

• IT in the agro-industrial complex of Russia
• IT in the agro-industrial complex in the world

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