Saudi farmer grows Aleppo pistachios, broccoli in Al Jouf farms

Abu Dhabi: In Saudi Arabia, farmers are now growing many fruits, most notably the olive, which produces high quality varieties and commercial quantities, in addition to extracting olive oil. The fertile lands in the Al Jouf region, with their fresh ground water and moderate climate has helped a Saudi farmer to grow Aleppo pistachios in the region of green gold, a rare variety that was not previously cultivated in the kingdom, Okaz reported.

Manea Al Zaid said the first experience of growing broccoli was in the city of Sakaka, until it proved its success in all regions of the kingdom, followed by several successful experiments, the last of which was cultivating Aleppo pistachios in the region, which produced distinguished fruit. The farmer said the experiment started with the cultivation of four seedlings of pistachios on his own farm in the city of Sakaka, and produced pistachios this year.

Al Zaid encouraged farmers to grow different crops in the fertile lands of the region and share their experiences with other farmers to support the national economy, considering that these projects come as part of the diversification of income sources and reducing dependence on oil in Saudi people’s lives.

The Syrian pistachio tree is known since Assyrians age. The origin of this tree goes back to the Al Batim Tree in the Mediterranean Basin and Middle East regions however, the original place of the Syrian pistachio is Syria (Ein Al Tina). The Aleppo pistachio (Fustuq Halabi) is attributed to Aleppo city, which is the traditional area for planting this tree. In Aleppo, the pistachio blossomed producing a dozen varieties, a unique diversity. These varieties differ both in the colour and the size of the fruit on the tree. As the taste and scent, the soil and position of the trees provide the variations. Pistachio is an important ingredient in the traditional cuisine of Aleppo.