“Two European vacations, that’s what it cost me to set it up,” said Ahmed Salim Al Shamsi. “But look at the rewards,” he beamed, as he let his gaze sweep over the sprawling farm. The young Emirati man has every reason to be proud. He has transformed the family’s pick-your-own farm in Sharjah into a large food oasis in less than two years.
Al Shamsi, who lives and works in Abu Dhabi, visited the farm during the onset of Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 to relax for a few days. Instead, he ended up working there, often for three months at a stretch after taking a break from his government job. The efforts did not go in vain.
Now, rows upon rows of plants stand on the hitherto barren stretch in the middle of a desert between Sharjah and Al Ain. There are cauliflowers on one patch, eggplants on another. A third patch is awash with corn. Further up, is a large aquaponics system. The farm has enormous tanks filled with thousands of Tilapia fish, graded by size.
Al Shamsi’s Tilapia fish and organic vegetables are in great demand. Several major supermarket chains have signed up with him, and discussions with many more are in progress. “We also have all kinds of lettuce here such as oakleaf, lollo rosso, butterhead, salonova.” Al Shamsi said he built the aquaponics system on-site using inexpensive locally available light-weight material, keeping in mind the region’s harsh weather conditions.
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