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Largest arable farm buys mega combine harvester fleet
The Arab oil sheik who bought Europe's largest arable farm at the beginning of 2018 has now placed a mega order with combine harvester manufacturer Claas. To harvest the 57.000 hectares, 32 combines of the largest type that Claas builds will be running on the farm.
Al Dahra from United Arab Emirates cooks in April last year the Romanian company Agricost. With over 57.000 hectares, it is said to be the largest arable farm in the European Union. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan paid €230 million for the entire company, although that is only €4.000 per hectare.
Machine fleet
It is a special company that is located on the island of Great Brăila, which is located near the Black Sea. It is located on the Danube, so there is plenty of water and the soil is very fertile. To bring in this year's harvest, Al Dahra invested in 32 new combines. He bought it from Claas. It concerns the Lexion 780 Terra Trac type. The largest model that Claas builds: a 12,3 meter header (on tracks), and a 626 hp Mercedes engine.
It is not the last investment that the Arabs are making in Brăila. A new port is currently being built so that the grain can be exported by ship to the port city of Constanta. Al Dahra is also building there. There will be a transfer terminal for loading and unloading fertilizer. All fertilizer Agricost needs is delivered by ship. It will also supply fertilizer for other companies. In total, this concerns 350.000 tons on an annual basis.
European cultivation grounds
Al Dahra has big plans in Romania. About 2022 million tons of grain should be produced by 1. That goes through the Suez Canal to the United Arab Emirates. The desert country is in dire need of food for its immensely wealthy population. The cultivation of grains (such as wheat) is under pressure. Huge amounts of water therefore have to be pumped up in the desert.
As the stocks are depleted in a short time, the government in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia is now taking measures; so less irrigation is required. As a result, potato cultivation quite a bit. This crop produces more food per liter of water than, for example, wheat. In addition to grain, it also grows roughage in Romania for the dairy farms in the United Arab Emirates.
Agricultural area
The company from the United Arab Emirates aims to buy more land and expand production in the coming years, so that the country's 9,4 million inhabitants can be fed. Al Dahra now has an agricultural area of 160.000 hectares and branches in more than 20 countries. All kinds of food are grown and traded by 5.000 employees. It also has companies or branches in various European countries, including; Italy, Spain and Serbia.
Niels van der Boom
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