An Egyptian company has teamed up with a Saudi start-up to bring sustainable farming practices to the kingdom.
Schaduf, a hydroponic farming business in Cairo, and Mishkat, a Saudi Arabian agritech company, will grow dozens of varieties of produce in the kingdom, strengthening the country's food security by decreasing reliance on imports.
Schaduf was the first company to introduce vertical gardens — plants that are attached with special materials and a built-in automatic irrigation system — to the Egyptian market and has expanded to neighbouring Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.
“We want Cairo, and all cities in the Arab World to be ideal sustainable cities, to ease the process of growing organic and reusing minimal amounts of water to grow their products,” said Sherif Hosny, vice president of Schaduf.
We want Cairo, and all cities in the Arab World to be ideal sustainable cities, to ease the process of growing organic and reusing minimal amounts of water to grow their products
Sherif Hosny,
Schaduf
“We currently have a partner in Saudi Arabia, Mishkat, and we have been working together on organic hydroponic, vegetables and tomatoes in the middle of the desert in extreme weather.
“Using these kinds of technologies here in Saudi Arabia makes a lot of sense.”
After its establishment in 2017, Mishkat opened Naeem Farms, Saudi Arabia's first certified organic hydroponic farm.
“Once the greenhouse was built and the production facilities were up and running, we focused on collating organic seeds from the best providers in the world and tried many different seeds and variations to get to the ones that actually work the best for the environment here,” said Fadi Ghalayini, vice president of business development at Mishkat.
This week, the kingdom's Public Investment Fund and US sustainable agriculture company AeroFarms signed a joint-venture agreement to build indoor vertical farms in the kingdom and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
Schaduf is an Arabic word that describes an ancient agricultural tool used to lift water from the Nile in low tide.
“It's one of the first irrigation tools in the world and had a huge impact on Egyptian civilisation,” Mr Hosny said. “We still use it in Egypt today.”
How does hydroponic farming work?
Hydroponic farming saves up to 80 per cent of the water typically used in standard methods, Mr Hosny said.
By removing soil from the process and placing the roots directly in nutrient-rich water, food can be grown in almost any controlled environment. This allows precise adjustments to important growing factors while using 70 to 90 per cent less water than conventional farming.
The word “hydroponic” is of Greek origin — “hydro” meaning “water” and “ponic” meaning “work”.
This method of farming, the water can be reused by pumping it back into the aquifer, the underground layer of water-bearing rocks in the soil.
Hydroponic oases in Saudi Arabia's deserts
In 2020, Saudi Arabia announced two initiatives worth 2.5 billion riyals ($665 million) to support farmers and enable food imports in an effort to bolster the country's food security.
“One of the sectors that we were looking into to provide business solutions for was agriculture, to consolidate Saudi Arabia's food security goals,” said Fares Bardeesi, founder and managing partner at Sukna ventures, one of the co-founding companies of Mishkat.
“We only plant organic and non-GMO seeds,” said Mr Ghalayini.
The farm is only 40 minutes outside Jeddah and takes advantage of the kingdom's plentiful sunlight to provide organic and pesticide-free produce.
The farms source their water from wells or aquifers that hold water with higher than normal saline levels.
Saudi Arabia receives more than half of its water through desalination methods and continues to invest significant resources in trying to make these more efficient.
The kingdom now has one of the world's largest seawater desalination plants, the Al Jubeil plant, which produces 1.4 million cubic metres a day.
“The water that we use has some salinity, so we do apply desalination methods,” Mr Ghalayini said.
The two companies are seeking to spread the message of sustainable farming by hosting workshops for farmers and schoolchildren at their greenhouses.
“It is important to provide local farmers and future agro-entrepreneurs, both economical and environmentally-beneficial solutions for a future that's food secure and more mindful of our already scarce water resources,” said Mr Bardeesi.
One of the major drawbacks of hydroponic farming, however, is that only a handful of crops can be successfully grown using the technique.
“There are limitations to hydroponics — it's more usually suited for leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers for now,” said Mr Ghalayini.
The organic greens are quite affordable too, competing with other organic produce in the market in price. A 250g pack of wild arugula sells for 13 rials.
Mr Hosny believes the greatest benefit of this farming technique is improving water security in an arid climate.
“By recirculating the water, both Schaduf and Mishkat have been able to decrease their water consumption by up to 80 per cent,” he said.
Water resources in the Middle East are becoming increasingly scarce, having diminished over the decades due to the region's arid climate.
Rising global temperatures and drought are putting food security in peril, with Unicef identifying the Middle East and North Africa as the most water-scarce region in the world in 2021.
Countries reliant on fresh water have seen their rivers dry up or have had to contend with political water-sharing problems, in a region where agriculture plays a crucial role in socio-economic life.
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
BLACKBERRY
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Matt%20Johnson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Jay%20Baruchel%2C%20Glenn%20Howerton%2C%20Matt%20Johnson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
