UAE-based agritech firm Armela is finalising plans for a horizontal high-tech strawberry facility and evaluating production of baby spinach and blueberries, its founder and chief executive said. Backed by the UAE-based AWR, Armela operates both horizontal and vertical farms but has stayed away from high-tech vertical farming. Shah noted that high-tech vertical farming requires higher upfront investment, carries higher production costs and offers limited crop variety compared with horizontal farming. Moreover, abundant sunlight makes high-tech horizontal farms more cost-efficient and scalable. He added that UAE banks have shown increasing appetite for agritech financing, reflecting growing confidence in controlled-environment agriculture.