^
Largest single olive tree plantation (Nadec) in the world (3.5 million olive trees) in the same Al-Jouf province according to the video. However I am not sure if this is the case but I assume that it is by all accounts one of the largest in the world.
Olive fields, olive trees, olives and olive oil are gifts from God!
Great to see a thriving agricultural sector in KSA.
#Supportfarming #Supportagriculture #Supportfarmers
100.000 trees to be planted along highways in Qassim Province. Very good.
Coffee Farms & Guest Rites: Saudi Arabia’s Unique Coffee Culture
, JULY 4, 2017
Home City & Country Guides Coffee Farms & Guest Rites: Saudi Arabia’s Unique Coffee Culture
Saudi Arabia is a country of two coffee cultures: Arabic and specialty. With one, you have highly ritualized and historic coffee traditions that welcome guests. With the other, you have have a growing appreciation for lighter roasts and third wave brewing methods – and even some specialty coffee production.
Yes, that’s right: Saudi Arabia has coffee farms.
Khaled Almadi of
Elixir Bunn, a roastery and café in Riyadh, agreed to talk to me about how these two traditions live side-by-side – and how he expects Saudi’s specialty industry to keep growing.
SEE ALSO: Interview: Saudi Coffee From Dallah to AeroPress
What Is Traditional Arabic Coffee?
Traditional Arabic coffee has a long history and great social significance – so much so that UNESCO has labeled it an Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO describes it as “a ceremonial act of generosity”, and it can be used to welcome guests, celebrate weddings, and even apply pressure in negotiations should a guest refuse to drink it.
Khaled says, “The ritual mainly takes place in homes, Bedouin tents, or at events. In cafés and restaurants, the ritual is not entirely compliant due to the commercialized aspect of service.”
Traditionally, the coffee beans would be roasted in front of the guest before being ground and brewed in a
dallah , a beautiful Arabic coffee pot. Nowadays, however, the beans are typically roasted in the kitchen. Spices, such as cardamom, are often added.
The drink should be poured with the left hand and served to guests with the right hand. These guests should then consume it without sugar – despite the bitter taste. A bowl of dates may be provided to sweeten the taste, and it’s traditional to drink one to three cups.
Painting of a farmer in Jazan, first Specialty Coffee farm in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Elixir Bunn
Two Coffee Cultures: Specialty & Arabic
Saudi Arabia’s coffee is steeped in tradition, but Khaled tells me there is room for specialty coffee culture as well. He sees the two thriving simultaneously.
In fact, because the Arabic coffee ritual is difficult to duplicate in cafés, Khaled says that there is a gap to be filled by other coffee trends. Many of his customers may drink Arabic coffee at home with guests, but they will also consume specialty coffee – either at home or in his café. They just needed to be introduced to it first.
Non-Arabic coffee entered the mainstream, he continues, when international chains appeared in Riyadh. Establishments like Dunkin Donuts familiarized people with filter brews. And as those international chains “normalized” filter coffee, it was easier for third wave coffee shops and roasteries like Elixir Bunn to exist.
Specialty coffee being brewed for consumers in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Elixir Bunn
Rapid Growth
Elixir Bunn has seen a 220% growth since opening, with practically no marketing budget (they use social media for organic reach). Their success, Khaled tells me, lies in a focus on three things: quality products, quality service, and coffee education. And the latter is key to the development of Saudi’s coffee scene.
Khaled tells me that Elixir Bunn makes coffee education available both through the website and in the café. What’s more, it grows with its customers: as his staff shares information about coffee producers, origins, and processing methods, their customers share their thoughts and preferences.
What’s more, specialty is appealing to different demographics. Gender segregation is expected in Saudi restaurants and coffee houses. In fact, in 2016, the Starbucks in Riyadh was required to stop serving women after the barrier between the “bachelor” and “family” areas of the café collapsed. However, Khaled has
recently expanded in order to serve women in a dedicated area of the coffee shop – a sign of the growing interest in third wave coffee.
This interest is also extending to competitions. In 2016, Saudi Arabia saw its
first ever AeroPress Champion. And this year, Sara Al-Ali was a finalist in the World Cezve/Ibrik Championship.
Of course, specialty coffee is still a young tradition in Saudi Arabia, with much to build towards. Khaled says, “We’d expect a smoother ride when we create a specialty coffee association of Saudi Arabia.” But its quick development holds great promise for the region’s third wave.
Specialty coffee and third wave brewing kits for sale in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Elixir Bunn
The Saudi Coffee Palate
Khaled explains that it takes a few months for customers’ palates to adjust to specialty coffee. However, once they develop a taste for it, they are eager to explore different brewing methods and origins.
He’s noticed that the most popular specialty regions tend to be Colombian and Brazilian. There’s also an uptick in East African coffees – partly because of Saudi Arabia’s geographic location. What’s more, while it’s difficult for many other countries to import Yemeni coffee, it is abundant here.
And earlier this year, Saudi Arabia produced its first ever specialty coffee crop. Time will tell how Saudi customers respond to coffee grown in their own country.
Specialty espresso and pour over coffee being brewed. Credit: Elixir Bunn
Specialty Coffee Farming in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s specialty coffee crop is the fruit of years of work. The country has mainly a desert climate, with high daytime temperatures and low nighttime ones. There are only two exceptions to this: a strip of steppe in the west, and a small, humid region, with mild temperatures and long summers, just north of Yemen.
It is in this humid area, in the region of Addayer, that Saudi Arabia’s first specialty coffee farms exists. Sitting less than 15 miles away from the Yemen border, Addayer – along with other nearby counties – holds great potential for coffee production.
This year, the farms produced natural and washed coffee. Some of the lots were then independently cupped at 80, 81 and 84 points. Khaled tells me they show “promise”. He describes them as having “typical notes” for coffees cupping in the low 80s – chocolatey, nutty, and so on – but with a “surprising sweetness”.
It’s an exciting start for a new specialty coffee origin.
Addayer, Jizan in Saudi Arabia: the region of Saudi’s specialty coffee farms. Credit: Kal Coffee
Traditional brewing methods and hospitality, third wave roasters and consumers, and even coffee production – Saudi Arabia’s coffee culture is rich, complex, and still growing. And with ambitious industry leaders pushing it forwards by building specialty coffee farms and competing on the world stage, it will be interesting to see how the region develops.
Written by Danielle Kilbride and Tanya Newton.
Please note: Elixir Bunn was a sponsor of the PDG Micro Coffee Festival El Salvador.
https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2...st-rites-saudi-arabias-unique-coffee-culture/
Interview: Saudi Coffee From Dallah to AeroPress
OCTOBER 28, 2016
The Saudi specialty scene is new but growing fast, and if anyone knows that it’s Mohammed Alghamdi. In 2014, he experienced specialty coffee for the first time. In 2016, he became the first ever Saudi AeroPress Champion.
He agreed to tell us all about it Saudi coffee, from traditional
dallah-brewed, cardamon-flavoured cups to the AeroPress.
SEE ALSO: From Sports Toys to World AeroPress Championships: An Interview With Aerobie, Inc.
Mohammed Alghamdi, Saudi AeroPress Champion, with his gold AeroPress. Credit: Mohammed Alghamdi
Hi Mohammed, thanks for chatting. Can you tell us about traditional Saudi coffee?
Our traditional coffee, also known as Arabic coffee, plays a major role in our culture. Guests and passers-by are typically served the golden-coloured drink; the coffee pot or
dallah is commonly displayed like a masterpiece on the wall of the guest room; and more trivially, guests, after being served Arabic coffee, can choose not to drink the coffee in order to pressure the hosts into adhering to their request first.
Many poets have written about coffee and how it’s the core of their daily life. Drinking a good brew of Arabic coffee, from a
dallah, flavoured with cardamom while socialising with good-spirited friends can be considered the epitome of a good time – at least, according to one fellow and his popular ‘80s poem. Don’t mind the rhyme; I’m giving translation a shot here:
How endearing is a cup of coffee with a mellow mind
in a place with none but the good spirited
This is a cousin on the father’s side, and that one is maternal
And this is a friend like no other
A dallah
is an important part of the traditional Saudi coffee ritual. Credit: Khaled Alkolaib
Let me tell you about the ceremony.
Preparing coffee is traditionally a thorough process. It starts with roasting the beans in front of the guest, just like culinary chefs but minus the white hat, on a metal concave cookie sheet known as
mehmas. Then you cool them down inside a wooden rectangular cubic-shaped tool.
Traditionally, Arabic coffee must be served left-handed. You pour it from its polished golden
dallah into a cup near your right hand. From there, the guest is expected to pick it up with their right hand. They then drink it without sugar, but can complement it with sweet dates that are conveniently placed near their hand.
Here’s a piece of trivia for you: this is just like how Ethiopians present popcorn with their coffee. The Arabic cup shape and design is similar to the Ethiopian one, and probably inherited from them.
Specialty-grade Arabic coffees, roasted to the yellow tan to brown phase, can yield flavours like peanuts, almond, hints of caramel, and other bright notes. In this case, they can be brewed and served without the spices we usually add.
Can you tell how excited I get about coffee?
The dallah is displayed like a masterpiece. Credit:Khaled Alkolaib
Absolutely! So can you tell us a bit more about Saudi specialty?
Specialty coffee enthusiasts, the real hardcore ones, used to gather in late 2012 to exchange knowledge on home roasting, brewing, and espresso extraction. This then developed into a chat group. And then some were able to develop this into startups.
The first couple of micro-roasteries in Riyadh started in 2014, and then a couple of roastery-cafés followed suit. Just a few enthusiasts and professionals had the burden of spreading an unpretentious coffee knowledge and awareness to connoisseurs and mainstream consumers alike.
A niche group of coffee drinkers started to see this new coffee wave, one that was foreign at first, and laborious, but sophisticated in its production. They saw the thin gooseneck kettle spouts, fancy scales, and light roasts and it made a bold impression of change on them.
While the third wave movement is just picking up in Saudi, we see more venture capitalists driving down that route as an early investment opportunity. They observe more people embracing the movement and upgrading their daily cup of coffee.
Nice! What types of coffee are popular?
Ethiopian Harar and Yemeni coffee are the most popular choices for Arabic coffee. Preferences tend to be for lighter roasts in the south of Saudi, and slightly darker moving north, from what I’ve witnessed. For filtered coffee, Colombia and Brazil are the most known and respected origins among the public.
Arabic coffee is consumed more than filtered/espresso, but the latter are experiencing a quick adoption as Saudi scholars of coffee come back to their country.
What makes Saudi specialty so, well, special?
The coffee culture is not as new as it is to other continents. People are accustomed to searching for good coffee, and I believe that this made specialty coffee easy to adopt for people looking for unique tastes and a refined experience.
Within the past three years, the specialty coffee market has developed to a more advanced stage relative to that of our peers in developed coffee scenes.
This is also because consumers are open to something new. Over the past decade, there’s been a growth in the number of youthful locals looking for a change.
Mohammed Alghamdi, Saudi AeroPress Champion, concentrates as he performs. Credit: Mohammed Alghamdi
What challenges does specialty face?
I collaborate with Khaled and Ahmed from Elixir Bunn Coffee to get as many people to try progressive approaches to coffee roasting and brewing – whether at Elixir Bunn or and elsewhere. Incidentally, every local specialty coffee shop out there, I believe, has the mission to free coffee drinkers from the darkness of generic and commercial coffee – to bring more light to people’s lives, one roast at a time.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh is now adopting local specialty coffee at one of their lounges, thanks to The Roasting House which is led by our great friend Osamah Alawwam. Actually, they also recently launched and started exporting the first Arabic cold brew to London-based Rawligion cafe.
At Elixir Bunn Coffee, we’re also bring specialty to the restaurant experience. We’re teaming up with Menara to introduce a specialty coffee programme to their Moroccan-French cuisine.
Exciting. How do you see this developing in the future?
I believe that the name of Saudi Arabia will be heard more in the global coffee arena. I believe more coffee competitions will launch, and more cafés and roasting start-ups will both open and enrich our coffee and food scene.
Thanks for talking, Mohammed!
Perfect Daily Grind
https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2016/10/interview-saudi-coffee-dallah-aeropress/
Great work.
Iraq sees 500,000 T wheat from Nineveh province in 2018
28.02.2018
|
UkrAgroConsult
The province is expected to grow 2.2mln donhums of land with wheat
Iraq expects to produce 500,000 tonnes of wheat from Nineveh province in the 2018 season, a local official said on Wednesday.
The province is expected to grow 2.2 million donhums of land with wheat, Dreid Hekmat, director of agriculture of the province, said.
One Iraqi donhum is equal to 2,500 square metres.
Nineveh was Iraq's most productive farming region before the arrival of Islamic State, producing around 1.5 million tonnes of wheat a year, or about 21 percent of Iraq's total wheat output, and 32 percent of barley.
There have been no official figures for agricultural output in Nineveh during Islamic State rule because the government had no access to areas under jihadist control.
More production out of the province would ease Iraq's needs for imports.
The war-damaged country, a major importer of grains, consumes around 5 million tonnes of wheat a year.
Wheat is imported by the trade ministry for Iraq's food rationing programme which includes flour, rice, cooking oil, sugar and baby milk formula.
Iraq's deputy agriculture minister Mahdi al-Qaisi said earlier this month that the country's wheat and barley production this year could be 20 percent less than last year because of dry weather and lower river levels.
But on Tuesday he said the situation was looking better after recent rainfall.
"The crisis is not over, but its less intense now ... the rain that fell lately is a blessing from God," he said.
zawya
@SALMAN F @TheCamelGuy
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 / 3:24 PM / 20 DAYS AGO
Saudi Arabia's SALIC looking at Iraq farmland investments
Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
* SALIC says Iraq on list of investment opportunities
* Iraq showcased agricultural land in donor conference
* Nineveh province Iraq’s most productive farming region
By Maha El Dahan
DUBAI, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) is looking at more farmland investment opportunities and has its neighbour Iraq on the list.
SALIC, an arm of the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), said it was also looking to expand its investments in the Black Sea region, which already includes 46,000 hectares of land in western Ukraine.
“We are considering many opportunities and Iraq is definitely on the list,” newly appointed Managing Director Khaled al-Aboodi told Reuters.
Iraq on Wednesday received pledges of $30 billion, mostly in credit facilities and investment from allies after a major donor conference in Kuwait.
Amongst the opportunities on display for investors during the event were 4 million dunums (400,000 hectares) of agricultural land, Hameed al-Nayef, Iraqi agriculture ministry spokesman said.
“Agricultural land that will be offered is across Iraq and investors should choose what crops to grow but we are giving priority to strategic crops like wheat, barley, corn, sesame and rice,” he said.
The mechanism for investment in Iraqi farmland and terms will be up for negotiations with interested firms.
Aboodi said SALIC was not at the Kuwait conference but that, “as time goes by we will look more closely,” at Iraqi farmland.
Saudi Arabia began scaling back its domestic wheat-growing programme in 2008, planning to rely completely on imports by 2016 to save water.
SALIC’s agricultural investments include farmland, grain silos and terminals, as part of Saudi Arabia’s food security drive.
Iraq, itself a major wheat and rice importer, has seen its most fertile province, Nineveh, lose production of strategic crops after Islamic State took over.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December, having taken back all territory the militants captured in 2014 and 2015.
Industry sources said there were investment opportunities in Mosul and some western areas close to the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
SALIC also said it was looking to grow its investments in the Black Sea region. “The Black Sea is a strategic place to look at given the attractive farming conditions and proximity to Saudi,” Aboodi said.
In October, SALIC set up a 5 billion riyal ($1.3 billion) joint venture with UAE agricultural firm Al Dahra to invest in the 10 countries across the Black Sea region. (Reporting By Maha El Dahan; additional reporting by Moayed Kenany in Baghdad. Editing by Jane Merriman)
https://uk.reuters.com/article/saud...ng-at-iraq-farmland-investments-idUKL8N1Q5500
This should be dealt with. The many dam projects in the region are a cause of concern for Iraq. Alternatives (seawater desalination) should be sought to remain self-sufficient also in the future given the growing population.
@mahatir we discussed something similar not that many weeks ago if you remember but in relation to Egypt (Nile).
One of the new areas in which the private sector is investing with government support is aquaculture. The number of fish farms, either using pens in the sea or tanks onshore, has been increasing steadily. Most are located along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Shrimp farming has been particularly successful. The National Shrimp Company ‘Al-Rubian’, for example, has a farm south of Jeddah managed by Saudi hydro-biologists and marine engineers, whose shrimp, including the preferred black tiger, is exported mainly to the United States and to Japan.
The Kingdom has, however, stepped up fruit and vegetable production, by improving both agricultural techniques and the roads that link farmers with urban consumers. Saudi Arabia is a major exporter of fruits and vegetables to its neighbors. Among its most productive crops are watermelon, grapes, citrus fruits, onions, squash and tomatoes. At Jizan in the country’s well-watered southwest, the Al-Hikmah Research Station is producing tropical fruits including pineapples, paw-paws, bananas, mangoes and guavas.
Several factories, including one in Al-Hasa, are dedicated entirely to the production of dates for foreign aid and donate tens of thousands of tons of dates each year to relieve famine and food shortages, mainly through the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Many countries have directly benefited from Saudi Arabia’s food aid offered through the WFP, and the Kingdom is second only to the United States in contributions to the program.
One of the new areas in which the private sector is investing with government support is aquaculture. The number of fish farms, either using pens in the sea or tanks onshore, has been increasing steadily. Most are located along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Shrimp farming has been particularly successful. The National Shrimp Company ‘Al-Rubian’, for example, has a farm south of Jeddah managed by Saudi hydro-biologists and marine engineers, whose shrimp, including the preferred black tiger, is exported mainly to the United States and to Japan.
The Kingdom has, however, stepped up fruit and vegetable production, by improving both agricultural techniques and the roads that link farmers with urban consumers. Saudi Arabia is a major exporter of fruits and vegetables to its neighbors. Among its most productive crops are watermelon, grapes, citrus fruits, onions, squash and tomatoes. At Jizan in the country’s well-watered southwest, the Al-Hikmah Research Station is producing tropical fruits including pineapples, paw-paws, bananas, mangoes and guavas.
Several factories, including one in Al-Hasa, are dedicated entirely to the production of dates for foreign aid and donate tens of thousands of tons of dates each year to relieve famine and food shortages, mainly through the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Many countries have directly benefited from Saudi Arabia’s food aid offered through the WFP, and the Kingdom is second only to the United States in contributions to the program.
