GLB Invest

GLB Invest is an agricultural development company behind a mega-project to establish one of the world's largest center-pivot irrigated alfalfa farms in the Wad Hamid area of Sudan. The project began in July 2011 when the company secured 87,200 hectares of land under a 99-year renewable lease from the Sudanese government. The land is strategically located 7 km from the Nile River, 130 km from Khartoum, and 700 km from Port Sudan, providing access to target markets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and China. GLB also secured water rights from the Nile and acquired a 300m x 200m stretch of riverbank for pumping stations, along with a 7 km x 50 m corridor for pipelines to connect the river to the project site. The project is being developed in phases, with the goal of deploying up to 1,000 center-pivots to irrigate 50,000 hectares, producing over 750,000 metric tons of alfalfa per year along with rotational crops such as Rhodes grass and sesame. Phase 1, comprising 40 pivots (2,000 irrigated hectares), became fully operational in January 2014. Phase 2 added 23 pivots, bringing total alfalfa production capacity to upwards of 60,000 metric tons per year. The company has also secured 5,000 square meters of warehouse space in Port Sudan for export operations. GLB Invest is backed by a group of shareholders including FB Holding (led by founder Firas Badra), Haggar Holding Company, and M1 Group. The company leverages the expertise of FB Green, a subsidiary of FB Holding, and partners with leading agricultural equipment suppliers such as Lindsay, Watertronics, and New Holland. The project aims to address food security concerns in the GCC and China by exporting premium alfalfa and other crops.

GLB Invest was established to develop a large-scale agricultural project in Sudan. 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 located 7 km from the Nile River, 130 km from Khartoum, and 700 km from Port Sudan, providing access to target markets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and China. In addition to the land, GLB secured water rights from the Nile River and acquired a 300m x 200m stretch of riverbank for pumping stations, as well as a 7 km x 50 m corridor to connect the riverbank to booster stations via GRP pipes. The project was developed in phases. Phase 1, consisting of 40 pivots (2,000 irrigated hectares), began sowing in September 2013 and completed its first harvest in late January 2014. Phase 2, consisting of 23 additional pivots, was completed in October 2014, bringing total alfalfa production capacity to upwards of 60,000 metric tons per year. The company aims to deploy up to 1,000 center-pivots to irrigate 50,000 hectares, with a capacity of over 750,000 metric tons of alfalfa per year and other rotational crops including Rhodes grass and sesame. GLB has secured 5,000 square meters of warehouse space in Port Sudan for export operations. The company is backed by shareholders including FB Holding, Haggar Holding Company, and M1 Group. FB Holding, established by Firas Badra in 2011, is the parent company of agricultural service companies operating under the label FB Green. Prior to FB Holding, Mr. Badra's core business was Golden Grain, a commodity-trading house established in Paris in 2004 and later moved to Beirut in 2006. At its peak, Golden Grain was the leading barley trader in Saudi Arabia and one of the largest in the world with a global market share exceeding 30%. Haggar Holding Company is the Haggar family's investment vehicle, active in East Africa for over 100 years across sectors including FMCG, retail, trading, banking, real estate, insurance, agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications, and healthcare. M1 Group is a diversified investment family-based group headquartered in Lebanon, historically focused on telecoms; its flagship company, Investcom, was taken public on the London Stock Exchange in 2005 and later merged with South African company MTN. Today, M1 Group is active globally in telecoms, real estate, banking, fashion, aviation, cement, and energy.

• 2014

  Completed first harvest in late January; Phase 1 fully operational.

• 2014

  Phase 2 completed in October, adding 23 pivots.

• 2013

  Began sowing alfalfa in September.

• 2011

  Secured 87,200 hectares of land in Wad Hamid, Sudan under a 99-year renewable lease.

Large-scale, export-oriented agricultural producer targeting food security in the GCC and China.

• Alfalfa hay

  Primary crop, premium and supreme quality, for export.

• Rhodes grass

  Rotational crop.

• Sesame

  Rotational crop.

1. 1GLB Invest - The Company - Profileglbinvest.com
2. 2GLB Invest - About The Project - The Projectglbinvest.com
3. 3GLB Invest - The Company - Word from the CEOglbinvest.com
4. 4GLB Invest - The Company - Shareholdersglbinvest.com
5. 5GLB Invest - Wikidatawikidata.org