INTERVIEW: Hummingbird Technologies and Saudi Arabia team up on food security

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Updated 26 October 2020
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INTERVIEW: Hummingbird Technologies and Saudi Arabia team up on food security

  • UK agri-tech entrepreneur explains how SALIC has invested in sustainable farming

Will Wells, CEO of Hummingbird Technologies, is scrutinizing our food, right down to the lettuce on a supermarket shelf.

“Every time somebody buys lettuce in Europe, the chances are that Hummingbird has analyzed that lettuce,” he told Arab News. Since last year, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) has probably had a good look at it too.

Last year SALIC — owned by the Public Investment Fund with a mandate to optimize investment in food and farming in the Kingdom and around the world — became a big investor in Hummingbird with a £7 million ($9.1 million) financial injection into Wells’ company.

It was an investment with big implications for agri-tech — the fast-growing sector that applies advanced digital technology to farming and food production — but also for global food security and Saudi Arabia’s plans to become more self-sufficient in sustainable foodstuffs.

Hummingbird, which Wells described as “my baby” after he set it up four years ago, develops the software used by drones and satellites to produce high-resolution maps that farmers can use to forecast crop stress, identify diseases, pests and weeds, and optimize food yields.

“If you’re an agricultural company and you say to me ‘I want you to show me every single soya bean in Brazil, or every single sugarcane plant in India,’ we could do it in a millisecond,” he said.

“Think of us like an MRI scan for plants. We use satellite data, robots, and drones to help farmers see problems in their crops. The result is immunotherapy, not chemotherapy. By analyzing millions and billions of pixels of crops from space, we can help people use fewer chemicals, improve supply, and monitor the entire digital food supply chain,” Wells said.

With a team of 65 people — mainly scientists — in his London office, Wells uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to analyze billions of pixels to prevent such problems. The technology he has developed can also assist in making food production more sustainable by measuring and evaluating agricultural techniques that minimize carbon-intensive practices.

“We can make the difference between sustainable and unsustainable agriculture. Technology like this can connect the dots,” Wells said.

“I want to emphasize the sheer quantity of software and hardware solutions in agri-food — weather stations, soil sensors, driverless tractors, robotic harvesting, spot-spraying weed devices. Hummingbird’s role — rather like the MRI scan — is to talk to all of that technology. We link up and integrate with everything else on the ground,” he added.

Hummingbird grew out of work done by scientists at London’s Imperial College and other technology organizations, and was backed by some prestigious investors in early-stage funding, including the European Space Agency and James Dyson, the British inventor and entrepreneur.

It has operations and clients across the world, from Latin and North America, throughout Europe and Russia, and down to Australia.

The Saudi connection came when SALIC opted to use Hummingbird technology for agricultural projects at farming land it owns and manages outside the Kingdom, including big investments in the Ukraine and Australia.


BIO

BORN: 1983, London.

EDUCATION: MA, Edinburgh University.

CAREER

  • Investment analyst, Highclere International Investment.
  • Founder and CEO, Hummingbird Technologies.

“SALIC was a customer first, but they liked the technology so much they decided to back it,” Wells said. SALIC’s £7 million participation in the last round of financing makes it a major investor in a start-up that at the time was valued at more than £30 million.

But Wells has much bigger ambitions. “Can an AI business for agriculture hit the same unicorn status, like those in health technology and fintech, that we’ve seen in recent years? The potential size of the market we’re going after is absolutely enormous.

“We’re trying to disrupt a multibillion-dollar chemical market, and we’re trying to unlock a multitrillion-dollar carbon market. There are so many ways AI and data science can improve food and farming,” he said.

“We are doubling and tripling every year, and expanding fast. We analyze millions of hectares of farming land every month, and we see billions of dollars of efficiency in each market we look at. You don’t have to be a silver bullet to hit ‘unicorn’ status in those conditions. People who have expertise in AI and crops make up quite a small list,” Wells added.

SALIC has been investing for some time in agricultural assets outside the Kingdom. Two years ago, it made the biggest in a series of investments in the Ukraine’s abundant farming lands with the purchase of Mriya, one of the country’s largest farming landowners in the rich grain and vegetable producing areas in the west of the country, combining it with an agricultural asset purchased earlier.

Last month, SALIC imported and sold its first batch of grain from Ukraine, unloading 60,000 tons of wheat in Jeddah, as part of the Kingdom’s strategy to support foreign investments in agriculture and help to ensure food security in Saudi Arabia.

In 2019, SALIC bought more than 200,000 hectares of land in Western Australia, including its first foreign investment in sheep-raising land, in one of Australia’s largest-ever farming land deals. 

Hummingbird technology can be used at the new acquisitions to enhance productivity and eliminate disease. SALIC also has ambitions in Canada and India.

But Wells also sees “immense” opportunities within the Kingdom itself. Food security has always been a national objective, and is one of the pillars of the Vision 2030 strategy to diversify away from oil dependence.

Earlier this year, the National Grain Company was set up, a partnership between SALIC and the National Shipping Company to oversee trade, handling and storage of grains in the Kingdom.

“We are looking to expand and have a local agricultural presence. Saudi Arabia wants to grow more fruit and vegetables in the country, and to do so locally and sustainably. We have expertise in producing foodstuffs efficiently, and that expertise can be put to good use there,” he said.

Wells said that the Vision 2030 strategy “speaks to the needs of consumers everywhere.” He added: “Ordinary people and consumers everywhere, not just in Saudi Arabia, are increasingly asking where their food is coming from, and this is a major factor for a company like ours. We are an enabler of self-sufficiency.”

The Hummingbird business also fits in perfectly with the emphasis on high-technology and the knowledge economy that is central to the Vision strategy, nowhere more so than in the NEOM megacity planned in the Kingdom’s north west.

There are more immediate applications too. Wells is working on an algorithm for date-palm production across the Middle East region that he believes has great potential. “But ultimately we can analyze any plant from space, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in a field in Brazil, and therefore we’re actively seeking local partners, especially university professors who specialize in plant pathology,” he said.

Hummingbird can also be critical to the Kingdom’s plans to reduce its carbon footprint as part of the Circular Carbon Economy strategy to tackle climate change.

“What we’re able to do from space is measure activities within food and farming that sequester carbon. To put it plainly, if a farmer or a farming business uses the Hummingbird map, and as a result of that uses less nitrogen as fertilizer, or sprays fewer chemicals, they have a lower carbon footprint, or potentially even a positive carbon outcome,” Wells said.

“By measuring things like biodiversity and soil health from space, we are able to distinguish between a farm that is sustainable, and a farm that’s not. At the heart of it is a ‘green’ outcome,” he added.

At some stage, Hummingbird will come back to the investor table for more funds. “We’re a high-growth start-up and in due course we will be seeking new investment. It is part of our journey and we have many more market opportunities too,” he said.

“Some people might call it a ‘land grab’, but we’re expanding into geographies where there are millions of hectares of farmland that have not yet been analyzed like this. It’s still very much a frontier market,” he said.

The link-up with SALIC could just be the connection that takes Hummingbird along the way to being an Arabian unicorn, but there is a broader ambition beyond the financial — to change the way the global food and agriculture business is seen.

“Food and farming has been demonized as a cause of climate change by many people. But there is a way to produce food efficiently and sustainably. It’s our job to sit right in the middle of that. 

“The aim is to take a sector that has been blamed for climate change, and make it carbon positive. That is the goal here,” Wells said.


ROSHN launches first residential community in Makkah

Updated 26 December 2024
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ROSHN launches first residential community in Makkah

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s leading property developer, ROSHN, has officially launched its first residential community in Makkah, marking a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to improve the city’s living standards while supporting the national development goals outlined in Vision 2030.

The launch event for the Al-Manar Community project, which is ROSHN’s inaugural residential development in Makkah, took place under the patronage of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by a host of prominent figures, including Makkah Mayor Musaed bin Abdulaziz Al-Dawood, Royal Commission for Makkah and Holy Sites CEO Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Rasheed, Real Estate General Authority CEO Abdullah Al-Hammad, and ROSHN’s acting CEO Khaled Jawhar. The event also saw participation from officials across both the public and private sectors.

Strategically positioned, the Al-Manar community is just a 20-minute drive from the Grand Mosque, less than an hour from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, and only two minutes from Makkah’s western gateway. The development’s design thoughtfully integrates the region’s rich cultural and architectural heritage, blending modernity with tradition.

The Saudi government, under Vision 2030, has set ambitious targets to boost homeownership among citizens, aiming for 70 percent by the end of the decade.

ROSHN is playing a pivotal role in achieving this goal by developing large-scale residential projects that offer high-quality and affordable housing options for Saudi citizens. These initiatives are in line with the government’s strategy to expand the housing sector, elevate living standards, and provide homes for the country’s growing population.

At the ceremony, attendees were given a tour of model villas and previewed the diverse residential designs available within the community. The Al-Manar development will feature a variety of villas alongside essential amenities such as schools, mosques, shopping centers, healthcare facilities, open spaces, and recreational areas.

Khaled Jawhar, acting CEO of ROSHN, explained that the project spans over 21 million sq. meters and will provide more than 33,000 housing units. Additionally, it will offer more than 150 facilities designed to meet the needs of residents and support community well-being.

Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission for Makkah and Holy Sites, emphasized the significance of the Al-Manar community as the first fully integrated ROSHN development in Makkah.

“Located at the city’s western gateway, within the Haram boundaries, this project reflects our commitment to facilitating impactful developments that drive long-term growth and sustainability,” Al-Rasheed said.


Saudi Venture Capital Invests $24bn in Jadwa GCC Private Equity Fund 1

Updated 26 December 2024
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Saudi Venture Capital Invests $24bn in Jadwa GCC Private Equity Fund 1

RIYADH: Saudi Venture Capital has invested over SR90 billion ($24 billion) in the Jadwa GCC Private Equity Fund 1.

The fund aims to raise SR1.5 billion, with a hard cap of SR2 billion, and marks Jadwa’s first regional blind-pool private equity fund, a press release issued on Thursday said.

It said the fund will focus on investing in a diversified portfolio of high-potential private equity opportunities across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council region.

Commenting on the development, Nabeel Koshak, CEO and board member of SVC, said:

“Our investment in the private equity fund by Jadwa is aligned with SVC’s strategy of supporting the evolving private equity ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. This investment will stimulate and sustain funding for high-potential companies in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the economic diversification objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.”

Founded in 2018, SVC is a subsidiary of the SME Bank, part of the National Development Fund. Its mission is to stimulate and sustain financing for startups and small and medium enterprises at various stages—from pre-seed to pre-IPO—through investments in funds as well as direct investments into emerging companies.

Tariq Al-Sudairy, managing director and CEO of Jadwa Investment, added: “We are excited to have SVC on board as an investor in Jadwa GCC Private Equity Fund 1. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to identifying and nurturing high-potential companies across the GCC, with the goal of creating long-term value for our clients.”

Jadwa Investment is a leading investment management and advisory firm in the MENA region.


Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 11,859

Updated 26 December 2024
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 11,859

  • Parallel market Nomu declined by 120.35 points, or 0.39%, to close at 30,886.71
  • MSCI Tadawul Index also dropped 3.44 points, or 0.23%, to end at 1,490.30

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Thursday, losing 32.85 points, or 0.28 percent, to close at 11,859.47.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index reached SR2.80 billion ($747 million), as 78 stocks advanced and 143 retreated.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu declined by 120.35 points, or 0.39 percent, to close at 30,886.71, with 37 stocks advancing and 38 retreating.

The MSCI Tadawul Index also dropped 3.44 points, or 0.23 percent, to end at 1,490.30.

The best-performing stock of the day was Rasan Information Technology Co., whose share price surged 7.58 percent to SR79.50. Other top performers included The Mediterranean and Gulf Insurance and Reinsurance Co., which rose by 7.17 percent to SR24.80, and The National Co. for Glass Industries, up 4.15 percent to SR55.20.

On the downside, Saudi Research and Media Group recorded the steepest drop, falling 3.86 percent to SR269.00. Al-Baha Investment and Development Co. saw its share price decline by 3.85 percent to SR0.50, while Red Sea International Co. dropped 3.63 percent to SR58.40.

On the announcement front, Mutakamela Insurance Co. launched its new identity and brand name, Mutakamela, following regulatory approvals and shareholder consent at its extraordinary general assembly meeting. 

Mutakamela ended the session unchanged at SR14.78.

Al-Yamamah Steel Industries Co. reported a net profit of SR70.8 million for the year ending Sept. 30, a significant turnaround from the SR130.14 million loss recorded in the previous year. The profit increase was attributed to reduced costs in the construction sector by 20.82 percent, electricity by 7.56 percent, and solar energy by 10.35 percent.

Additionally, the company’s board recommended distributing SR25.4 million in cash dividends to shareholders for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. Eligible shareholders will receive a dividend of SR0.50 per share, representing 5 percent of the share’s par value, with 50.8 million shares eligible for the payout. 

Al-Yamamah Steel closed the session at SR35.00, down 1.75 percent.

Arabian Contracting Services Co. secured a project worth SR563 million with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to invest in and lease internal advertising spaces within the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Riyadh. 

The 10-year agreement aligns with the company’s strategy to expand its advertising activities. 

Its stock rose 0.68 percent to close at SR149.00.

Bank Al-Jazira announced the start of issuing its Additional Tier 1 Sukuk under a SR5 billion program through private placement. The issuance amount and terms will be determined based on market conditions, with a minimum subscription of SR1 million. 

The sukuk offer price, par value, and return will also be market-dependent. The bank has appointed Al-Jazira Capital, Al-Rajhi Capital, and HSBC Saudi Arabia as joint lead managers and dealers.

Bank Al-Jazira’s stock rose 0.96 percent to close at SR18.68.


Turkiye lowers interest rate to 47.5%

Updated 26 December 2024
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Turkiye lowers interest rate to 47.5%

  • Central bank now expects inflation to reach 44% at the end of 2024
  • Decision signals the start of an easing cycle after eight months of steady policy

ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s central bank lowered its key interest rate on Thursday, the first cut in nearly two years as it battles with double-digit inflation.
The bank’s monetary policy committee decided to reduce the policy rate from 50 percent to 47.5 percent, with a statement citing improvement in “inflation expectations and pricing behavior.”
The last cut was in February 2023.
The central bank began to raise interest rates last year to battle soaring prices, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his opposition to orthodox monetary policy.
It has kept the main rate stable at 50 percent since March.
Thursday’s decision signals the start of an easing cycle after eight months of steady policy.
The bank said the decisiveness over its tight monetary stance “is bringing down the underlying trend of monthly inflation and strengthening the disinflation process.”
In November, Turkiye’s annual inflation rate slowed for the sixth month in a row, at 47.1 percent.
The central bank now expects inflation to reach 44 percent at the end of 2024, up from a previous estimate in August of 38 percent.
The bank said the level of the policy rate would be determined in a way to ensure the tightness required by the projected disinflation path, taking into account both realized and expected inflation.
This week, the central bank announced that it would hold fewer policy meetings next year.
“The Committee will make its decisions prudently on a meeting-by-meeting basis with a focus on the inflation outlook,” the bank said, adding it would “decisively use all the tools at its disposal in line with its main objective of price stability.”
The bank “will make its decisions in a predictable, data-driven and transparent framework,” it added.
Hakan Kara, former chief economist at the central bank, welcomed the cut as “very reasonable and balanced start” that came with a “cautious/optimistic communication.”
“In my opinion, the central bank is doing its best. From now on, the ball is in other policies,” Kara commented on social media platform X, including in the pace of spending and regulations on critical institutions.
The rate slash comes amid a moderate increase in Turkiye’s minimum wage after several rounds of negotiations.
The net monthly minimum wage has been raised by 30 percent to 22,104 lira ($600), beginning from Jan. 1 — far below the demands of the workers union.
The union had demanded a 70 percent increase.
Erdogan welcomed the rise this week and said: “We once again remained true to our promise not to let our workers be crushed by inflation.”


Saudi Arabia’s JEDCO, Tarshid partner to boost energy efficiency at King Abdulaziz Int’l Airport

Updated 26 December 2024
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Saudi Arabia’s JEDCO, Tarshid partner to boost energy efficiency at King Abdulaziz Int’l Airport

  • Tarshid will conduct on-site surveys and technical studies of KAIA’s targeted buildings and facilities
  • Project aims to encourage the aviation industry to adopt sustainable practices

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz International Airport is set to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions through a strategic partnership with the country’s National Energy Services Co., or Tarshid.

The pact between Jeddah Airports Co., or JEDCO, the airport’s operating company, and Tarshid, a Public Investment Fund company, aims to deliver sustainable energy efficiency solutions for the airport’s facilities. The partnership is facilitated through a Tarshid subsidiary and aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, minister of energy and chairman of Tarshid’s board of directors, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The deal, which aims to launch innovative energy-saving initiatives and promote environmental responsibility, supports Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Environmental Sustainability Program and contributes to achieving the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030, which seek to improve energy efficiency and implement sustainable solutions across public and private sector facilities in the Kingdom.

The Kingdom has been developing the Civil Aviation Environmental Sustainability Plan, which seeks to mitigate the environmental impact associated with the expected growth of the country’s civil aviation sector.

The plan is crafted to align with global commitments outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement and the emission reduction targets set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The country has made several national-level achievements over the past years in the pursuit of its net-zero emissions goal, set for 2060. It is also pursuing new technologies to improve fuel efficiency and decarbonize the aviation sector.

Ranked among the top 100 airports globally, KAIA holds the distinction of being the third-best airport in the Middle East, according to rankings by UK-based consulting firm Skytrax.

Under the agreement, Tarshid will conduct on-site surveys and technical studies of KAIA’s targeted buildings and facilities, recommending optimal solutions to enhance energy efficiency and reduce consumption within the project’s scope.

Waled Abdullah Al-Ghreri, CEO of Tarshid and board member, said that they are dedicated to realizing Vision 2030’s objectives of enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability in Saudi Arabia.

“Tarshid continues to strengthen its partnerships with both public and private sectors, and our collaboration with Jeddah Airports Co. is a pivotal step toward establishing new energy efficiency benchmarks in the aviation sector, reflecting a future that merges operational excellence with environmental responsibility.”

Mazen bin Mohammed Johar, CEO of JEDCO, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying that the agreement is a significant step in advancing the company’s efforts to enhance the operational efficiency of airport facilities.

Johar added that the agreement aligns with the National Aviation Strategy’s goal of operating a world-class, sustainable airport with high energy efficiency standards, consistent with Vision 2030.

He highlighted KAIA’s achievements in environmental preservation, including sustainability projects such as a recycling initiative that reduces carbon emissions and achieves net-zero targets, electricity and water conservation projects utilizing solar panels and smart technologies, and air quality monitoring in collaboration with the National Center for Environmental Compliance.

He said that the airport has increased green spaces to mitigate carbon emissions.

Established in 2017, Tarshid specializes in retrofitting buildings and facilities to improve energy efficiency and sustainability across government and private sectors. The KAIA project is among its key initiatives with the private sector, aiming to encourage the aviation industry to adopt sustainable practices.

By the end of the third quarter of this year, the company had achieved annual energy savings of 7.3 terawatt-hours across various projects, equivalent to conserving over 11.7 million barrels of oil equivalent and avoiding approximately 4.2 million metric tonnes of harmful emissions. These efforts equate to the environmental impact of planting more than 69.4 million seedlings annually, SPA reported.

Tarshid has recently signed a similar agreement with SAL Logistics Services, underscoring its role in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability across both governmental and private sectors.