UAE: Meet the Emirati farmer growing berries, guava and papaya at his mountain plantation
Ahmed Al Hefeiti uses this agricultural know-how to discover which foreign plants can thrive in the UAE
By Nilanjana Gupta
The National News
Dec 06, 2022
Excerpt:
A thriving nursery at the base of Hajar Mountains stands as a testament to a retired UAE army officer’s dream of a green revolution.
Ahmed Al Hefeiti, an Emirati steeped in a rich farming tradition, imports rare and diverse plants from countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and grows them in the UAE’s arid climate.
He has succeeded in harvesting a wide variety of fruits including mangoes and lemons from Pakistan, Chinese bayberries, Japanese oranges, South Africa’s jujube as well as India’s cashews, chikoo, black jamun, jackfruit and passion fruit. From Thailand, Mr Al Hefeiti brought lychees, longan and star fruit.
Located about 20km outside Fujairah city on the Masafi road, the Wadi Dafta Plantation covers 2,000 square metres.
“I opened the nursery in 2018 because of my love for plants,” says Mr Al Hefeiti, who used to collect plants during his travels overseas and bring them home, following strict UAE regulations.
After the nursery was established, he obtained a licence to import plants.
“I have rare plants such as wood apple which I brought from Nepal even before opening the plantation.”
