The morning breeze rustles the magnificent date palm branches as the sun starts to rise in the sleepy oasis town of Liwa. Birds chirp and a desert cat scampers past.
At 6am, Ahmed AlFalahi is already awake and tending to the more than 900 trees that line the farm that has served as his passion project since he retired two years ago.
For some, it is a livelihood. For Mr AlFalahi, however, farming is a calling.
The summer months – which often bring a slower pace to life – are a time of great excitement and anticipation for date farmers preparing to reap the fruits of their labour.
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Inside Farmlink, an Emirati date farm owned by Ahmed Alfalahi in Liwa. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National -
Dates hang within a protective net that keeps birds and insects at bay, as well as stops the fruit from falling to the ground -
A farm worker picks dates from the enclosed net baskets -
Mr Alfalahi uses a temperature-controlled green house for the dates to dry and mature -
Dabbas, fard and khalas are some of the varieties grown at the farm -
A desalination plant at Farmlink -
The plant enables farming with the salinated water that comes from Liwa's wells -
Each tree receives about 150 litres of water a day -
Mr Alfalahi believes sustainability and technology are key to the future of date farming -
The dates are packaged on site -
Mr Alfalahi says he is learning lessons from each harvest to continue to make the most of his crop in the years to come
The cultivation period for date farmers lasts about 10 months, from September to July, with the current harvest season the culmination of countless hours of hard work out in the field.
“I love to challenge myself,” said Mr AlFalahi. “This is a relaxing area and lots of my family is here, so you have this community with you.
“You have your farm and some activities – it's better than the city. You go out, you relax and do your hobby, and you have a really good challenge – to compete with masters in this field.”
Reaping the rewards
Dabbas, fard and khalas are some of the varieties of the beloved national fruit grown at the farm. Dabbas is native to Liwa, while the others grow all over the country. Every day, Mr AlFalahi waters each tree with 150 litres of water.
Mr AlFalahi is learning lessons from each harvest to continue to make the most of his crop in the years to come.
After last year's harvest, which yielded 15 tonnes of dates, he bought a desalination plant to treat the water that comes from Liwa's wells. The investment paid off – this year yields were a much higher quality and bigger in size.
“The first year was very tough for me. When you start, you don't have experience. If nobody is helping you, it's really challenging. There's lots of information on the internet and everyone has a school of thought in each sector.”
Dates on display
The harvesting season features festivals held across the Emirates. Dubai Dates and Liwa Dates Festival are among the indoor shows that bring farmers together to share knowledge, compete for prizes and promote their crop to visitors.
“We're here to see the types of dates that are generally found in the UAE,” Mohammed Ali from Ras Al Khaimah told The National at Dubai Dates. “There are types found in Ras Al Khaimah. There are new types that I'm seeing for the first time in Dubai and Liwa.”
The beloved date is not only a staple of the UAE diet, it has a deep-rooted role in the nation's heritage.
“Dates are essential for Emiratis. This is a constant in the UAE. An Emirati wedding feast must have dates,” Mr Ali said. “Any Emirati coffee must have dates. You had occasions, weddings, God forbid, funerals, condolences. Dates were essential. They were something you couldn't do without.”
Youth and sustainability
Mr AlFalahi believes sustainability and the use of advanced technology are key to the future of date farming – with youth primed to lead the charge.
On his farm, a massive composting pit uses trimmed palm fronds to make fertiliser. A greenhouse uses both fans and natural airflow to dry the dates, making them easier to preserve.
“I think the youth are starting very strong in this. They are farming not only dates, but they are moving to vegetables and fruits,” he said.
In only two years, Mr AlFalahi has acquired a wealth of knowledge on the subject. He is confident that in the coming years, his dates will be on the level to compete with family farms that have been winning competitions for years.
“I discovered that these people are masters and there is strong competition here. I love to compete with them. This year, I participated but I didn't have any rank. Next year, I'm sure I'll be there.”
Celebrating Emirati tradition
Dr Jonathan Flowers, of New York University Abu Dhabi, has spent the past 12 years researching dates. His goal is to understand and characterise the genetic diversity of date growers and he is particularly interested in the harvesting season, when the fruit enters the rutab – semi-ripe – stage.
“This is the stage that the rest of the world doesn't even know about. It's unique to the region because you can't really ship the fruits.”
In his time in the country, he has come to understand how special the time of year is for Emirati families.
“Rutab is really for Emiratis,” he told The National. “It's an opportunity for farmers to showcase their fruits and to make a return on their investment.”
His recent research has focused on identifying why different kinds of dates have different colours. “The dark red ones are always dark red every year, it doesn't matter where the tree is growing in the country. As long as it's that cultivar, it will have a very specific colour and that's because it's under very strong genetic control. So we're studying that, the genetics of it.”
Stages of growth
When the date is not yet ripe on the tree, this is the bisr stage. When it starts to ripen and turn from red or yellow, it progresses to the rutab stage. The final stage when it is fully ripe – the widely known form that is available all year round.
“As they begin to ripen, they turn brown and there's a conversion process, from a storage sugar for most varieties, sucrose,” said Mr Flowers. “So the fruit is packed with sucrose and then that sugar sucrose is converted into glucose and fructose at the rutab stage.”
In Oman, the rutab stage begins in mid-June, while in the UAE it begins in earnest in mid-July.
Rutab dates can be found flavouring ice cream – such as Jlato and Mina Creamery scoops – as well as Liwa Dates' Rutab Juice.
The UAE government provides support to farmers, including land, supplies and incentives. Farmers can also sell their dates directly to government-owned companies such as Al Foah.
“Without our government and its efforts, there would not be any progress in this field. They are also buying the dates and encouraging farmers to produce,” said Mr AlFalahi.
