Down a dirt track off the Dubai-Al Ain Road, in one of the UAE’s greenest regions, you will find a sprawling farm that is home to some of the tastiest berry selections.
Bumblebees imported from Europe help to pollinate thousands of berry bushes at Al Foah Farm in Al Ain, with about 1,500 bees per hectare working furiously between the planting and harvesting months.
The farm, owned and operated by Elite Agro Holding, leads the local production of some of nature’s best superfoods including raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
Localisation is our unique selling point. You can’t get fresher than this
Ian Summerfield,
Elite Agro
But it also holds the title of being the only steading in the country growing blueberries.
“Berries are fascinating because they have such a short shelf life but have become super popular with consumers in recent years,” said Ian Summerfield, chief executive of Elite Agro.
“Localisation is our unique selling point. You can’t get fresher than this.
“We operate something called the triple two policy.
“Taking the berries from harvest to cool storage takes less than two hours, the berries are only touched by two hands; the picker and the consumer, and we store all our produce at 2°C to keep it fresh.”
Large greenhouses fitted with water-based cooling systems house thousands of plants and bushes where the berries are in full bloom throughout their given season.
Blueberries are usually harvested from January to May and raspberries and blackberries from October to April.
Twenty greenhouses dedicated to blueberry production cover a total area of 12 hectares, with an average of 5,400 blueberry plants per hectare.
Raspberry and blackberry production is smaller in scale, covering a total area of 1.8 hectares and 1.2 hectares, respectively.
The farm is home to four premium varieties of blueberries ― dazzle, eureka, eureka sunrise and first blush. The plants are brought in from a breeder in Australia called Mountain Blue Orchard.
In terms of taste profile, Mr Summerfield said the blueberries have a "sweet but sharp flavour, are larger in size than most and have a crunchy texture".
“We had to find berries that could cope with this climate but still give a great burst of flavour,” he said.
“In 2017 we signed an exclusivity deal with Mountain Blue Orchard as we found these varieties would be best for this market both for flavour, texture and size but also for the growing conditions we had.
“We are the largest and only blueberry growers in the UAE and we’re the only people allowed to grow these varieties of berries in the Middle East.”
Fruitful production annually
During harvest, the blueberries are picked three times a week by farmhands and reach retail shelves within 24 hours.
Depending on where you shop, a 500g punnet of Elite blueberries, can cost between Dh30 to Dh40.
Annually, the farm produces about 300 tonnes of blueberries, 70 tonnes of raspberries and 30 tonnes of blackberries across tens of hectares of greenhouse spaces.
Over the next few years, Mr Summerfield said the farm will expand its blueberry crop by 13 hectares, meaning by 2026 it will produce close to 700 tonnes of blueberries a year.
How do you grow the perfect blueberry?
Blueberries have very specific pH requirements, so the saplings are planted in coco peat, made from coconut husks, and perlite, a naturally occurring mineral.
A drip system, which distributes a combination of water and fertiliser, is used for each plant and it receives about 3.5 litres of water per day in the hot summer months and only one litre during the cooler winter season.
For pollination, each flower on the plant needs to be visited by a bee between 18-23 times in a season, and each plant has around 1,600 flowers.
To keep pests at bay, the farm also introduces insect predators to kill unwanted bugs as an alternative to using harmful and costly pesticides.
Mr Summerfield said the biggest pest is a tiny insect called thrip and they bring in beetles to kill them off.
Spread across 570 hectares of land, the farm also produces peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections:
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8.50pm Etisalat
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The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
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Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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