Emirati farmer Ahmed Al-Hafiti was able to grow types of nut trees in the Emirate of Fujairah, specifically on his farm, “Wadi Dafta Nursery,” in the Al-Buthnah region, despite the difficulties related to the climate. This is an inspiring achievement that shows high efficiency in managing the farm and selecting appropriate varieties. For agriculture, the most prominent of which are pistachios, cashews, walnuts and almonds.
Al-Hafiti told Emirates Today that the impossible is unknown in the Emirates, adding that he adopted this principle as a motivation to achieve his goal of achieving food security, considering it a personal challenge for him, and he aspires to enable farm owners to supply the markets with Emirati nuts, especially cashews, pistachios, walnuts and almonds. .
Al-Hafiti explained that he was able to find solutions to the obstacles facing the cultivation of this type of tree in an environment different from its natural environment, which allowed him to provide the appropriate conditions for its growth, and determine the appropriate places for its cultivation, such as choosing shade areas or between trees.
He reported that he monitored the temperatures, made sure to cool the irrigation water, and moisturize the tree’s basin so that it would be able to withstand the summer heat.
He continued: “My first experience in growing nuts was growing cashews, after bringing them from India. Through my diligent efforts, I was able to produce a quantity of promising seedlings.”
He confirmed that the first batch of cashew seedlings consisted of 500 seedlings, and that they ran out at an unexpected speed, given the great demand for them. He added that he followed this up by selling more than 900 additional seedlings, while the demand for these seedlings continues.
He said that he took into account the warnings regarding the cashew fruit, conducted extensive experiments, and took the necessary precautions to ensure its safety.
He explained that roasting and peeling cashews before eating them reduces potential risks related to the layer around the fruit.
He added that he went on a trip to California in the United States of America to buy pistachios, which had been imported from Iran.
He said that he was keen to learn about the stages of their cultivation and development, before California became one of the largest exporters of pistachios to global markets, and that he decided to try growing pistachios on his own farm, based on the similarity in climatic conditions between California and the UAE.
Although he succeeded in this initially, he emphasized the need for more than a year to verify the tolerance of this type of tree to the extreme heat in the region.
He explained that he experimented by planting three seedlings in different conditions. He placed one in his reserve, another in a shading area to prevent the influence of direct sunlight, and another under direct sunlight. He was keen to measure the variables occurring between the three seedlings to determine which method best suited this type of tree to achieve successful production.
He pointed out that he was surprised by the great demand for pistachio seedlings, as he sold more than 300 of them, and he noticed that there is an increasing desire among farmers to try growing these trees, given their desire to obtain fresh nuts, free of any unnatural additives.
Al-Hafiti believes in the importance of the Emirati farmer investing his energy in seeking to obtain the best food from his own farm, and exporting it to the markets, stressing that this approach contributes to enhancing the wheel of development in agricultural production, and enhances the cultivation of diverse and multiple crops, which contributes to achieving food security and strengthening the local economy. .
• Roasting and peeling cashews before eating them reduces the risk of the fruit’s skin.
• Al-Hafiti decided to try growing pistachios based on the similarity of climatic conditions between California and the Emirates.
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