Fruitfulness despite inhospitable farmland

Desert land is not likely to be considered fruitful for anything but palm trees. But a technology from Japan could change this by cutting water and fertilizer consumption in farming by more than 80 per cent. Kunal Wadhwani is a co-founder of Agricel, a Dubai-based firm that has acquired global rights for a "soil-less" farming technology. He discusses plans for Agricel amid talks with private players who may want to market this technology across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

The technology you employ uses sheets of an absorbent material called hydromembrane and its powder form for farming. Why is the technology not more widely used?

It takes time [to adopt technologies]. Companies who might have spent millions of dollars on their [farming] ventures want to wait and see what others are doing. It is also a matter of educating people. TEDx Abu Dhabi was one such place for us. We are also participating in TEDx [events in] Jordan, India and Tokyo.

Why did you choose to base your company in the UAE to market the technology?

Because of water scarcity, food security is a big issue here. The rise in corn prices in 2008 brought out people on the streets of Cairo. You can use this technology on a large scale within the confines of a greenhouse. It can [also] be used as a powder with fertilizer, for example. In the Middle East, the UAE has the most favourable environment for start-ups. … We know the business community here and have access to the government [officials].

What markets are you looking to expand into?

We are talking to some of the largest players in India, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as Jordan, the UAE, Kenya and South Africa. We have not touched the Americas and Europe because we have to focus on the lowest-hanging fruits first.

How are you approaching the agriculture industry, say, in India?

The agriculture market in India alone is worth US$260 billion [Dh955bn] per annum. Middle East and North Africa would follow second, and Africa third. We cannot [reveal] names but we are in talks with seed and fertilizer companies in India who already have a supply chain, and we are looking into joint ventures [with them] to sell [the powder form] as bags of 15 to 20 kilograms to be sold separately or to be mixed with fertilizers. We hope to enter the market in three to six months.

How long will it be before you see profits?

We launched officially on March 15 [with $5 million] and are in the process of signing memorandums of understanding with several joint-venture partners around Mena [the Middle East and North Africa] and the subcontinent regions. We have capitalised the business with the understanding this will take time and requires educating [companies in] the … agricultural market.

* Sananda Sahoo