Mujtaba Awad

GLB Invest

GLB Invest is developing one of the largest center-pivot irrigated alfalfa farms in the world. The journey began in July 2011 when the company secured 87,200 hectares of land in the Wad Hamid area under a 99-year renewable lease from the Sudanese government. The land is strategically located 7km from the Nile River, 130km from Khartoum and 700km from Port Sudan, the gateway to the target markets of the KSA, the UAE and China. In addition to the land, GLB was able to secure necessary water rights from the Nile River for its production. The company acquired a 300m x 200m stretch of riverbank directly off the Nile where the pumping stations required for the project were built, as well as a 7km x 50m corridor to connect the riverbank to the booster stations at the outskirts of the project by way of GRP pipes. Thanks to these initiatives, GLB was able to begin sowing less than two and half years from start date and completed its first harvest toward the end of January 2014. The project will be developed over several phases with the aim of deploying up to 1,000 center-pivots that will irrigate 50,000 hectares of land with a capacity of over 750,000MT of alfalfa per year and other rotational crops, including Rhodes grass, sesame and others. Phase 1, consisting of 40 pivots (2,000 irrigated hectares) has been fully operational since January 2014 and Phase 2, consisting of 23 additional pivots, was completed a year after, bringing total alfalfa production capacity upwards of 60,000MT per year. GLB has secured 5,000m2 of warehouse space in Port Sudan and aims to export its production to major feed consuming countries such as the KSA, the UAE, and China.