RIYADH: A Saudi farmer in the province of Tabuk is sowing the seeds of success by growing some of the world’s rarest fruits, typically cultivated in tropical climates.
Misnat Al-Sharari told the Saudi Press Agency that he began farming at a young age and often experimented with crops hard to grow in the region.
After several attempts, he found ways to cultivate tropical fruit by altering soil fertility and water freshness to create the right environmental conditions.
His so-called intercropping method involved growing papaya, strawberries, and dragon fruit in the same greenhouse, allowing him to increase productivity by making better use of land and resources.
Al-Sharari also uses fish waste, preserved in special ponds, as fertilizer.
He praised the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture for its support to farmers in the province and said Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz’s annual Model Farm Award had encouraged producers to improve practices and diversify their crops.
