KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad
Published: Monday, October 7, 2024, 6:00 AM
A Palestinian farmer based in the United Arab Emirates who sells premium olives, cheeses and spices grown on his family’s farm in Jenin is currently facing severe challenges due to the ongoing conflict.
Before the war broke out on October 7 last year, he received shipments of agricultural products once a month, amounting to between 400 and 600 kilograms.
Get the latest news. Follow KT on our WhatsApp channel.
However, the war has made regular exports nearly impossible, and since the war began, shipments have arrived only every two to three months. โI received the last batch in August, but I am worried that the shortage of agricultural products will be prolonged, especially with the escalation of the conflict after the involvement of Hezbollah and Iran,โ Abu said. .
From visitor to resident
Abu visited the UAE regularly from 2009 to 2014 and sold his farm’s produce at local markets. After traveling a lot, he finally settled in the UAE in 2014 and started his business in Dubai in 2017, opening a store in Dragon Mart.
โOur farm in Jenin is huge. We grow everything from olives, herbs and vegetables to raising cows and goats for milk and processing it into cheese. โ said a Palestinian expatriate currently living in Dubai. His brothers and nephews oversee the day-to-day operations of the farm.
KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad
KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad
โEverything we bring to Dubai is 100 percent from our farms, ensuring our customers get the best and freshest products,โ he added.
Watch the video of his production here.
Agriculture: a family affair
Abu Muhamed’s agricultural roots run deep in his family, stretching back generations in his homeland. Farming has been his family’s livelihood since long before he was born, and knowledge of olive growing, cheese making and herb growing has been passed down from generation to generation. “Our family farm is more than just a business. It’s part of who we are,” Abu said. โMy father taught me how to plant olive trees and care for livestock, and now my brother and nephews carry on the legacy. We have always been dependent on the land. , everything we know comes from many years of working closely with the land.โ
โJust like our ancestors, we grow everything naturally, without the use of chemicals. My nephews continue the same practice today, improving soil quality and flora and fauna. We have the same dedication to health,โ he added. โOnce the produce is harvested, the family collects it, packs it and then exports it to the UAE.โ
Olive production and export
โOlives are grown in hot, dry summers and mild winters,โ he said. โWe start planting in January and February, ensuring that the olive trees are placed in well-drained soil and receive plenty of sunlight. For the first few years, the trees have strong roots. They require deep watering to establish the roots, but they become drought tolerant as they grow,โ Abu added.
KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad
Olives are harvested in late autumn or early winter, depending on their ripeness. The family then prepares it for export. Some olives are packed in oil, others mixed in water. โWe do the packaging in Palestine and make sure everything is fresh when it arrives in Dubai,โ Abu Muhamed said. โHerbs such as zaโatar and sage leaves are also carefully grown and harvested on our farm in Jenin, giving our customers here an authentic taste of Palestine.โ
cheese making traditions
One of Abu’s favorite things is the cheese his family makes from cows and goats. “We collect milk from cows and goats and make cheese using traditional methods,” Abu Muhamed said. โMy brother and nephews are now back home in charge of this process, making sure it is done with the same care that our family has done for generations. Masu.”
Abu Muhammed’s store at Dragon Mart is popular for its wide range of Palestinian products, including zaatar, herbal seasoning blends, specialty Palestinian pickles, and a variety of herbs. โLiving in the UAE for the past 10 years has allowed me to maintain a strong connection to my roots while sharing the produce of my farm with people here,โ said Abu Muhammed. .
KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad
Looking to the future, Abu Muhamed hopes to continue to grow and expand the business. “Right now we are happy with where we are, but who knows what the future holds. As long as we can continue to offer the taste of Palestine to the UAE, I will be satisfied,” he said.
uncertain future
A Palestinian, he sells traditional Palestinian products directly from his farm and has built a loyal customer base in the UAE. “Before the war, everything was going well. My relatives were exporting agricultural products to the UAE without any problems. Now everything is uncertain,” Abu said.
As the conflict escalates, his fears grow over the fate of his farm’s produce. โRight now, with wars raging and borders becoming more and more restricted, we don’t know when the next product will be available,โ he said. Despite his concerns, he remains hopeful that peace will return and regular imports of goods, which are essential for many Dubai residents, will resume.
Also read: