The Ruler of Sharjah witnesses the harvest of the fourth season of the “Seven Sanabel” wheat farm in Mleiha and launches the luxurious “Qand” chocolate

Today, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, witnessed the harvest ceremony of the fourth season of the “Seven Sanabel” wheat farm. His Highness also launched the luxurious “Qand” chocolate, and the integrated digital platform that provides services of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock in the Emirate of Sharjah, to empower farmers and livestock breeders, in the Mleiha region. His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, delivered a speech during the harvest ceremony, which he began with the noble verse: “And you see the mountains and think them motionless, and they pass by like the clouds, the work of God, who has perfected all things. You will do” (An-Naml: 88), stressing that His Highness the Creation of God Almighty is the most perfect and best, and warning against tampering with God’s creation or changing it.

His Highness pointed out that many diseases are caused by unhealthy food, as a result of interventions by adding chemicals and preservatives, motivated by greed and avarice at the expense of human health. His Highness pointed out that there are those on the other hand who preserve and preserve this divine creation, through the production of healthy organic products that retain their natural characteristics as God created them.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah praised the good reputation that the emirate’s products have gained in many countries, as a result of returning them to their natural origin. His Highness revealed that 580 farmers have benefited from the wheat seed distribution initiative, working under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, appreciating their efforts in developing the agricultural sector, in addition to reviewing the most prominent challenges they face.

His Highness stressed that the department provides an integrated set of services to farmers, including agriculture and plowing operations, and the reclamation of lands that are not suitable for agriculture, whether affected by chemicals or of a sandy nature that does not retain water. His Highness praised the success of specialists in developing “nano clay” technology, which will be distributed to farmers to improve the quality of the soil and increase its productivity.

His Highness touched on the challenges of water in agriculture and its high cost, reassuring farmers of the existence of supportive projects that contribute to reducing the cost, including the distillation project in Kalba and Lake Medina, in addition to government initiatives that support electricity costs, which reflects positively on the quality and cost of the agricultural product, stressing the importance of marketing products correctly to enhance their reputation as healthy and reliable products.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah called on farmers in the United Arab Emirates who did not benefit from the wheat seed distribution initiative to join it, due to the benefits it brings at the farmer and community levels. His Highness stressed the continuation of full support to achieve more healthy agricultural production free of toxins, and His Highness revealed that work is underway to establish a new wheat farm with the same specifications, with the aim of doubling production and expanding access to global markets.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah concluded his speech by emphasizing the integration of agricultural projects in the emirate in a way that supports the food security system and enhances the concepts of healthy food, noting that this system is based on integrated efforts that include a wheat farm, a Maliha dairy project, and Fly birds, in addition to the cultivation of vegetables and fruits, which contributes to providing high-quality natural products that benefit the community and support food sustainability in the emirate.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah witnessed the process of harvesting wheat in its fourth season, which was carried out using the latest machinery and equipment, which carries out the harvesting process, separating the kernels from the straw, assembling the straw, and compressing the wheat straw and turning it into bales. The harvest ceremony included an artistic performance presented by a group of children, expressing their welcome to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and their thanks for His Highness’s great efforts in providing healthy and safe food.

In the accompanying events area, His Highness inaugurated the “My Farm” platform, which is an integrated digital platform that enables farmers and livestock breeders to access government services electronically easily and efficiently, which supports digital transformation and enhances sustainability. The platform represents a model for smart agriculture through the use of the first thermal imaging technologies of its kind and data analysis, and provides periodic reports and early alerts about crop health indicators, which comes to empower livestock farmers and breeders in the emirate.

His Highness also launched the “Qand” brand, which specializes in luxury sweets and chocolates, as a global language for cultural communication, and relies on organic “Iktva” ingredients, to present a luxurious global Emirati product that transforms natural resources into messages that address the world in the language of Sharjah, and transforms its bounties into an aesthetic icon that exports Emirati excellence to the world.

His Highness reviewed the scientific research of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock and the program for improving and developing wheat strains, which is being implemented in the first biotechnology laboratory specializing in wheat in the UAE, which constitutes a comprehensive vision for a more sustainable agricultural system that invests resources, preserves the environment, and employs modern capabilities and technologies to develop agricultural systems.

His Highness was briefed on the results of the “Baba Sultan Healthy Food Program”, which enshrines the concepts of healthy food within the educational environment and works to enhance awareness of the importance of food. The program contributed to the dissemination of the Healthy Food Charter, in which 57 educational bodies, from schools and nurseries in the Emirate of Sharjah, participated, which reflects a great readiness to adopt a commitment to promoting healthy food practices, and establishing a conscious and sustainable food culture, which contributes to preparing a generation more aware of its food practices, and enhancing the quality of life.

He presented to His Highness the students of Quarter of a Century of Science and Technology a detailed explanation of their scientific projects, including the “Ghaith” scientific project, which is an “intelligent robot” that contributes to combating desertification and enhancing food security by automating agricultural tasks from planting, irrigation, fertilization, and caring for plants until harvest, in addition to the project on the effect of using fungal suspensions on the growth of wheat, their positive relationship with plants, and their role in supporting agriculture and environmental sustainability.
His Highness also watched a presentation by students from the University of Sharjah on studying the use of nano-clay in wheat cultivation using modern and specialized techniques, in addition to students from the University of Dhaid, who presented a number of research projects on Maliha milk products and seven-snabel flour, in addition to “the preliminary evaluation of the effect of heat treatment on improving the germination of date palm seeds.”

His Highness met a group of children whose agricultural talent appeared early in adapting and plowing the land, planting vegetables and caring for them using modern techniques. These experiences contributed to strengthening their connection to the land and developing their sense of responsibility towards their environment, in a scene that reflects their awareness of the importance of agriculture to be part of the journey to achieve food security and its sustainability.

The ceremony began with an art show using sand entitled “Harvesting the Vision,” during which it embodied a strategic transformation journey that began from a first seed, to rise today to an integrated organic food system, extending to reach every home, providing healthy and safe food, and devoting a pioneering model in sustainability and food security.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and the audience watched a documentary that included confirmation that Sharjah’s organic food security system is not limited to production only; Rather, it is based on the foundations of advanced scientific research on finding solutions for sustainable agriculture through nano-clay and improving wheat strains.
His Highness followed a video material that dealt with the most important results of using nano-clay in wheat cultivation using modern and specialized techniques. Local nano clay is made from natural materials extracted from valley streams, processed and then combined with biological compounds, to enhance its efficiency, improve soil fertility, increase its ability to retain water, and enhance the growth and productivity of crops in dry environments.

The material also showed a number of clear differences between the parameters of using local nano-clay in the soil on the one hand, and soil without the addition of nano-clay on the other hand, especially when exposed to water stress. The efficiency of the local nano-clay was slightly higher than the use of bentonite clay in all tests, which paves the way for adopting this technology in the future in sustainable and organic agriculture projects.

Engineer Dr. Khalifa Musabah Al Tunaiji, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, gave a speech in which he praised the efforts of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in improving the food security system, expressing his thanks and appreciation for the great support provided by His Highness to the Department, and reviewing a number of international reports that dealt with food projects in the Emirate of Sharjah and its great and unique achievements in the field of organic products.

His Highness honored a number of strategic partners whose support and cooperation had a great impact on the success of the fourth agricultural season of the wheat farm in Mleiha. His Highness extended his thanks and appreciation to them and presented them with commemorative shields, wishing them continued success and continued cooperation.
The ceremony concluded with the song “Baba Sultan Teach Us,” which was performed by a group of children, and whose scenes were embodied by the “Food Ambassadors.” The song introduced the “Baba Sultan Healthy Food Program” and its goals in promoting healthy eating habits among children.

His Highness received a souvenir drawn by more than two thousand male and female students from Sharjah schools, in appreciation of His Highness’s efforts in the agricultural sector and food security, and His Highness’s keenness to establish a sustainable organic food system and provide healthy and safe food to all members of society.
The ceremony was attended alongside His Highness by: Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority, Sheikh Dr. Salem bin Abdul Rahman Al Qasimi, Head of the Office of His Highness the Ruler, Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Government Relations, Sheikh Majid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Suburbs Affairs Department, Sheikh Khalid bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, President of the Abu Dhabi Agricultural Club, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Head of the Port and Customs Department in the Emirate of Ajman, Sheikh Saud bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Director General of the Sharjah Digital Department, Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Director of the Central Finance Department, and a number of senior officials, heads and directors of federal and local departments and bodies.