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

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



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.”

roueiti@thenational.ae

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

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Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 760Nm

Price: Dh898,000

On sale: now

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
Schedule
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How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

England squad

Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate

'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
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The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

Get Out

Director: Jordan Peele

Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford

Four stars

SPECS
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'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams 
Penguin Randomhouse

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Company%20Profile
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