“We owned the farm and the animals ourselves; I grew up on the farm. We didn’t use chemicals at all, but there was nothing at that time to certify us as organic. We applied later, and got it and turned the farm into a business,” says Al Owais.
The farm keeps chickens for their eggs, 60 sheep and goats, and one cow, which he uses to get his daily fix of fresh milk and to make cheese.
“The driver goes every day to get the fresh milk. The animals are a hobby for me. I know people living here for more than 10 years, and they have meat at my house and they say it’s the best meat here,” says Al Owais.
The larger farm is 4.65 hectares in Al Dhaid, employing 50 staff, and the smaller is 2.5 hectares in Al Zubair. They yield more than 100 kilograms of produce per day during the busiest periods. There are 35 greenhouses on the site, most of them protecting cucumbers.
“We get our vegetables tested by the Government,” Al Owais explains. “They have their own labs and they tell us for how long the food will last. Every year, we renew the certificate and the farm is tested; the sand, the fertiliser, the food.”
“I can see now that it’s changing,” Al Owais says. “Day by day, they are getting it. There are 25 farms in Abu Dhabi, but they sell very little in Abu Dhabi; they sell it all in Dubai. More than 50 per cent of our stuff goes to Dubai. Every day, three cars go to Dubai and one goes to Sharjah and Ajman.”
