Elite Agro Holding has unveiled AED660 million ($180m) of agricultural investments across the UAE, Morocco and Mauritania, as the Emirati agribusiness expands its production footprint and bets on cross-border agriculture to strengthen food supply chains.
Announced during Global Food Week 2026 in Abu Dhabi, the investments cover more than 9,300 hectares and combine Emirati capital with agricultural expertise, technology and international partnerships.
The biggest commitment is in Mauritania, where Elite Agro Holding, the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development and SAPA AGRIMA have signed an agreement to develop the Aftout/Rosso agricultural project.
Elite Agro plans to invest AED440m ($120m) in the 8,900-hectare operation, targeting production of around 244,000 tonnes of agricultural produce for the Mauritanian market and exports to neighbouring countries.
Food security through geographic diversification
The investment provides another example of how the UAE’s approach to food security is extending beyond producing more food within its own borders.
Faced with pressure on global supply chains and the challenge of producing food in a resource-constrained environment, the strategy increasingly involves building cross-border agricultural capacity, combining investment with technology and production expertise.
Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Trade, said the investments demonstrate the importance of cross-border cooperation in developing sustainable agriculture and more reliable food supply chains. He also positioned the deals as part of the UAE’s efforts to help Emirati companies expand internationally through investment, expertise and advanced technologies.
Elite Agro CEO Hassan Halawy linked the expansion with food security as well as job creation and the transfer of agricultural skills and technologies.
Importantly, the Mauritanian project is not presented simply as an overseas source of food for Emirati consumers. Elite Agro says its output will help meet local Mauritanian demand and support exports to neighbouring countries, suggesting the strategy is as much about developing a geographically diversified agribusiness as directly securing imports for the UAE.
The UAE is not neglecting domestic production, however. The MENA region’s first Integrated Agri-Tech Innovation Centre launched in Sharjah on September 16, focused on technologies including vertical farming, hydroponics, automation and AI. The development suggests the UAE is pursuing food security on two fronts: using technology to increase sustainable production at home while geographically diversifying its agricultural interests abroad.
Elite Agro targets high-value crops
The strategy also extends to Morocco, where Elite Agro Holding is putting AED140m into the roughly 400-hectare Sidi Yehia Farm, while another AED80m is going into a 25-hectare blueberry production project in Al Ain, UAE.
The investments point to a twin strategy: developing large-scale agricultural production in West Africa while expanding higher-value crop production closer to the Gulf and North African markets.
