Authorities urged to include date palm agriculture in curricula in UAE

Abu Dhabi : An Emirati doctor, who abandoned medical practice and embraced date palm cultivation, has urged the authorities to introduce date palm farming into various curricula followed in the country.

Dr Ahmdd Saif Al Falasi, winner of the Shaikh Khalifa International Date Palm Award in the Distinguished Personality category, in its fourth edition this year, had fell in love with the blessed tree several decades ago.

Educated as a medical doctor, Al Falasi practised medicine in various hospitals in the country and held positions such as the Acting Director of the Al Ain Medical District and Director General of the Federal Environmental Authority. During this time he also enjoyed spending times in the farm lands, nurturing date palms.

Dr Falasi said that he brought to the UAE a total of 83 varieties of the finest date palm seedlings from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Kuwait and other countries.

Even some ministers of agriculture in the Gulf countries were not aware of the existence of several varieties, said Dr Al Falasi.

One of these varieties is named “Al-Sabr” (Arabic term for patience) because of her long wait to bear fruit, noted Al Falasi.

With prayers on his lips, Al Falasi remembered the founding President of UAE, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for his love for agriculture, especially date palms.

Al Falasi also gratefully talked about the great support given by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the agriculture and the food security in the country.

He also held in high esteem the roles of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and their support to the agricultural development.

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