His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah witnesses the harvest of the third season of "Seven Spikes" wheat in Maliha

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, witnessed this morning the harvest ceremony of the third season of "Seven Spikes" wheat, which reached 19.3% protein this season, in the Maliha area.

Before the ceremony began, His Highness toured the accompanying events area, inaugurating the new organic products of "Seven Spikes" flour, which are pasta of various types, vermicelli "balaleet", croissants, cakes of various types, biscuits, semolina, and Arabic bread.

His Highness met with the local farmers who are provided with seeds and equipment by the Department of Agriculture and Animal Wealth in implementation of His Highness's directives, and was briefed on their production of organic wheat free of chemical pesticides. The grant of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah to the farmers included 25 tons of authentic wheat seeds, which benefited 559 farmers during the current season. His Highness was also introduced to the modern mechanisms used in the harvesting process in the third season.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and the attendees watched the movement of the mechanisms that participated in the wheat harvesting process, marking the start of the third season's harvest of the wheat farm, which was carried out using the latest modern mechanisms and equipment. The harvesting process was carried out using three mechanisms: the first separates the grain from the straw, the second collects the straw, and the last compresses the wheat straw and turns it into bales.

Dr. Khalifa Musabah Al Tunaiji, Chairman of the Department of Agriculture and Animal Wealth and CEO of the Sharjah Agricultural and Animal Production Corporation (Iktifa), delivered a speech in which he praised the efforts of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and his great support for the path of giving and development towards achieving food security, noting that the harvest of the third season will be through 37 axes with an area of ​​1428 hectares, with an expected production of up to 6 thousand tons of organic wheat.

Al Tunaiji announced that the protein percentage of “Seven Spikes” wheat this season has increased to 19.3%, after recording 18.1% in its first season, setting a world record, appreciating the vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in moving towards the organic farming model that builds living matter in the soil year after year.

He explained that the third season of the wheat farm witnessed the cultivation of 3 varieties, namely "Yukura Rojo" from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is the main variety, while the varieties "Egypt 3" and "Egypt 4" from the Arab Republic of Egypt showed remarkable superiority in the experimental farm in terms of abundant production and stem strength, which qualified them for cultivation, noting that the cultivation of the Egyptian variety in Sharjah gave a higher percentage of protein than its cultivation in the mother country.

Al-Taniji added that the wheat farm witnessed the cultivation of corn silage as an experimental phase on an area of ​​12.5 hectares to provide green fodder for cows, and to form easily digestible and quickly absorbed fodder in the body, and production is expected to reach more than 500 tons, explaining that work is underway to expand summer agriculture through some legume forage crops to ensure the rotation of agriculture between the grass and legume family and to provide organic food for the Maliha Dairy Farm, the Felei Bird Farm and the Central Livestock Project.

He stressed that agricultural researchers at the farm are working on developing new experimental strains to reach “Sharjah 1”, pointing out that the cultivation of strains doubled in the third season to 1,450 strains of soft and hard wheat that are not genetically modified. The hybridization program also developed by doubling the number of parents, as their number reached 45 selected in the second season, and studies were conducted on them in the first-of-its-kind biotechnology laboratory in the UAE in wheat hybridization, equipped with all smart devices to conduct physiological measurements and partial analyses to determine the genetic kinship of the selected parents. Al Tunaiji concluded his speech by addressing.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, saying, “How do we thank a man who devoted his mind to preserving the capabilities of his country and the dignity of his nation? How do we fulfill the right of a leader who made his vision a beacon, and from his decisions bridges that take us to a prosperous future? How do we thank a hand that reached out to water and a mind that illuminated the path of sustainability and a heart that beats with the love of giving and generosity?” Thank you stands in shame before your great deed, and words of praise, no matter how lofty and enduring, remain incapable of encompassing the magnitude of your giving.”

The harvest ceremony included a “Tweet” segment presented by a group of children to express their thanks to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and his great efforts in providing healthy and safe food. His Highness watched a video entitled “A Touch of Loyalty” in which a number of people of different nationalities shared their experiences with the organic food produced by the “Iktifa” Foundation, and how the products improved their lives after they had previously suffered from health problems that prevented them from drinking milk and its derivatives and regular flour.

The ceremony also featured a video documenting the interest of Japanese farmer Yoshiki Yamamoto in clean organic farming, and how Sharjah's sustainable organic farming experience and His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah's interest in healthy and safe food caught his attention and how he transformed the desert into an organic wheat farm, expressing his great happiness to be in the Emirate of Sharjah and participate in the harvest ceremony of the best wheat product.

At the end of the ceremony, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah honored the strategic partners whose support and cooperation had a great impact on the success of the third agricultural season of the wheat farm in Mleiha, presenting them with commemorative shields and taking group photos with them.

His Highness received a commemorative gift from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), in appreciation of His Highness's efforts in the agricultural sector and food security, and His Highness's keenness to grow healthy organic foods.

The wheat farm in Maliha uses modern technologies to save 30% of irrigation water, using the smart Valley 365 application that allows remote control and measuring the amount of water through ground sensors at a depth of 60 cm, in addition to satellites that provide daily reports on the farm’s axes, irrigation operations and plant health. The farm uses the latest smart agricultural machines that help increase production, preserve the environment and achieve sustainable growth. The ceremony was attended by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development, Sheikh Eng. Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Majid Al Qasimi, Director of the Department of Municipalities, His Excellency Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Community Protection, Her Excellency Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Consultative Council, and a number of senior officials and dignitaries of the region.