Portrait of a Nation: the self-taught authority on UAE flora

Ahmed Al Mazroui was boy when he was struck by the glory of Emirati flora. Today, he is a self-taught authority on desert species who makes cultivation.

Ahmed Al Mazroui’s life-long fascination with flora of the UAE and beyond has become a successful business. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Ahmed Al Mazroui was a boy when he was struck by the glory of Emirati flora. Today, he is a self-taught authority on desert species who makes cultivation his business.

AJMAN// Ahmed Al Mazroui is a man who likes to get his hands dirty. When not at his day job at the Ministry of Interior, the self-taught farmer can be often found tending to plants from all over the world at his nursery in Al Hilew.

The plants Mr Al Mazroui grows are chosen because of their ability to cope with harsh weather conditions, with species from South Africa, Australia, Cuba, Sudan and Thailand thriving under his watchful gaze.

“From searching on the internet and reading articles and sharing information with my farmer friends, I have learnt how to be a good farmer and have a lot of information about chemical fertilisers and minerals that plants need and help them to stay alive,” the 40-year-old Emirati said.

“One day, I got seeds of the Borassus Aethiopum plant from Sudan and when other farmers saw it in my garden they were surprised how I was able to plant it in the UAE. They said, ‘In Sudan, we can’t cultivate it because its cultivation is hard’, but I could do it because I have searched and read a lot about the proper way of its cultivation.”

Mr Al Mazroui, who lives in Al Jurf, has built a successful company selling ornamental plants and trees for use in gardens and grand developments, plants which most people overlook in favour of smaller or prettier species.

“There are a lot of people in UAE who are interested in cultivating fruit plants, and I wanted something new. If all farmers go for fruits, no one will take care of ornamental trees that add beauty to nature,” he said. “I buy 10 to 15 kinds of plants costing Dh10,000, and after growing I sell them at a price between Dh90,000 to Dh100,000.”

Mr Al Mazroui buys seeds from abroad along with two friends, and the more unusual the variety the greater the appeal.

“When we ordered seeds of Saikas tree from Australia, the seller told us that ‘we are the first people from the Middle East who ask to buy Saikas, and this is the first time I have heard people from the Middle East care about this kind of tree’.

“Also, there was another seller from Germany who said the same thing. When we asked if these plants could survive shipping to the UAE and its weather, he said, ‘This is my first time someone from the Middle East has asked me to buy this plant’,” he said.

Mr Al Mazroui, whose passion for agricultural started as a child during visits to farms with his father, hopes to create a garden where he can educate people about where his plants came from and how, with a little care, they can turn the Emirates green.

“My house’s garden is not too large, but I am now working on my big farm and I am planning to divide it into states. Each ‘country’ will contain the plants I brought from there, with signs for the scientific names and origin of each,” he added.

“I wish that I could have one plant that represents all people.”

The time Mr Al Mazroui spends at his farm has taught him that patience is one of the most important things in life.

“Farmers have become patient because they need to wait five to six years for the seed to grow and become big plants.”