Sharjah 24: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah confirmed that the Saba Sanabel "Seven Spikes" wheat grown at the wheat farm in Mleiha is the first fully organic wheat in the Middle East, and the flour extracted from it has the highest protein content of 18%.

His Highness also stated that the cow farm in Mleiha will produce high-quality organic milk free of any artificial disruption or additions, and will be sold with all of its bounties, while the poultry farm will produce chickens free of human commercial treatment, whether chemical or grafting procedures, and are fed from the green spaces in which they graze under the sun. 

His Highness also indicated that Mudina water reservoir will offer adequate water reserves, with a capacity of one billion and 360 million gallons. His Highness also announced a new initiative that is now being implemented: caravan camping in the Al Hiyar region.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, stated in a telephone interview on the "Direct Line" programme, hosted by Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of Sharjah Broadcasting Authority: "I visited the wheat farm in Mleiha today, and this visit before the harvest, since wheat has produced fruit, and God willing, the harvest is close, and this is the final stage, and the wheat farm covers around 1900 hectares, with not all of it being farmed. Between the lines, there are areas with passageways, and the cultivated area is 1,500 hectares.”

Saba Sanabel
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah continued: "This wheat, which will be harvested, God willing, we called it "Saba Sanabel," a plant that will not all bear seven spikes, some have seven spikes and some have six spikes, but we called it "seven spikes" as stated in the Holy Quran, and this wheat is the first fully organic wheat in the whole Middle East, and after harvesting, it is ground to produce flour from it for eating, which contains the highest percentage of protein.

Cow farms
His Highness went on to say: "We also produce bran with high nutritional value, and what is left on the ground, the hay, is collected, and these large quantities of bran are sufficient to feed 1000 cows, and next to this project, there is a cow farm under construction, and it will include cows of an original breed of ancient breeds, from areas in northern Germany and southern Belgium, which are not common in the rest of the world. These cows were not vaccinated at birth and are fed hay that has not been chemically treated, as well as corn and soybeans, which are grown without chemical fertilisers, and thus these cows produce high-quality organic milk, and this milk will be sold in full nutrients, butter or cream or other products will not be removed from them before being sold, and the dairy derivatives taken from these cows will be the first of their kind in the Middle East, as there will be dairy with no artificial treatment or chemical addition to them, knowing that cows' manure  to fertilise the wheat farm.”

Poultry farm
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah said: “The third phase of this project is the poultry farm, which includes a type of poultry that have been preserved and do not have any additives, be they chemical, vaccination or others. Therefore, these poultry will be more expensive than other poultry sold in the country’s markets, because other farms produce poultry in 27 days, as growth accelerators are added to the chickens, causing the chickens to swell, while the growth process of our chickens on the farm takes 70 days, because they are fed naturally from the green spaces in the sun. The chickens manure is used as fertiliser for the wheat farm. These three farms complement each other, and are all organic, free of external additives.”

Lawful finance
Regarding financing food security projects in Mleiha, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi said: “This project, like all other projects in Sharjah, is being financed with halal money. It is being financed by His Excellency Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sharjah Islamic Bank, and Mohammed Abdullah, CEO of the bank. We say to them: With the money that you give us, we are financing a very valuable project for the UAE and for Sharjah, especially for the people of Mleiha. We will have successive visits to the wheat farm in Mleiha, God willing, until the harvest day, knowing that the harvest will be before the blessed month of Ramadan, God willing.”

Mudina Water Reservoir 
About Mudina Water Reservoir, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah said: “We are seeking to find reservoirs not only for agriculture, but also for reserves if, God forbid, pollution occurs in the sea water, we have Al Hafiya Lake in the city of Kalba, and since it is not sufficient for the city’s water needs, we are  now developing Al Furaish Lake, which is on the mountain separating the Al Hafiya area from the city of Kalba; in Khorfakkan, we have the Al Rafisah Dam, which is a large lake that also provides fun, picnics, and beautiful view. We are increasing and developing water storage projects, given that each city’s need for water increases over time with the increase of homes and population, and we now have a project Wadi Al-Ghazir, which is a large valley that will be transformed, God willing, into a lake in the middle of the mountains and a resort for people to enjoy. In the city of Al Dhaid, we have “Al Dhaid Lake”, and in Sharjah, we have underground cement storage tanks, which we expand every year, so we decided to create a city tank project with an area equivalent to approximately the size of Khalid’s Lake in the city of Sharjah, but deeper, with a capacity of 1.36 billion gallons of water. We also have water production projects in the country, such as the Federal desalination plant in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain and the Abu Dhabi Desalination Plant located in the Emirate of Fujairah, and these stations have a surplus in the winter, so we buy this surplus, and this is a successful investment for the future.”

Camping trailers
In response to a direct line caller’s inquiry about camping with trailers “caravans”, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi said: “We have a project for camping with trailers, and it is now under implementation in the Al Hiyar area, which is located after the Wadi Al Helo area before entering the city of Kalba, and it is a good area, with water, entertainment and everything, but the road is on the left side while the project is on the right side, and the valley is below. Work is now underway to establish the project in this valley, and the road pillars are in place, and so is the asphalt, and electricity, water, and sewage are being connected. Now, the owner of the towed vehicle will be able to park and camp there.”