A new ministry programme hopes to reintroduce indigenous grasses on farms.
The programme would reduce water waste and combat the transformation of habitable land into desert.
Most farmers currently rely on the thirsty Rhodes grass and alfalfa to feed their livestock. But local plants such as Buffel grass could be just as nutritious, and better for the environment.
First imported from Africa, Rhodes grass was made popular as an easy-to-grow option for farmers. However, it is prodigiously thirsty, accounting for three-fifths of the water used in the Emirates' agriculture.
Now, the Ministry of Environment and Water, and the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (Icarda) are hoping to make Buffel grass just as popular. In the process, they also hope to reduce the need for scarce water.
Buffel grass, which is indigenous to the Arabian Peninsula, is already used as fodder in Australia, southern Africa, India and Pakistan.
It has been reimported from Pakistan and planted at research stations throughout the UAE.
Currently, of the 1,000 farms in the Al Awir programme, only eight are signed up to receive the grass. Experts say production must be boosted for the grass to become widespread.
The project is meant to reduce stress on the land, according to Essam al Alzon, a technical engineer at the Ministry.
"We need to try to determine which grasses can withstand poor quality soil and high heat," said Mr al Alzon, who spearheaded the Al Awir programme.
Buffel grass has similar nutritional content as Rhodes grass. However, with drip irrigation, it needs only a fifth as much water.
Older watering methods, such as sprinklers, meant watering the grass for six hours every day. With Buffel grass, irrigation time can be cut to just 20 minutes.
One of Sami Hassan's 12 farms is part of the trial, testing different kinds of re-imported local grass.
He first planted local and imported Buffel grass two years ago, and last year swapped the rest of his crop over to theman grass from Pakistan and America.
While he prefers Buffel grass, he said the plants that have been cultivated abroad produced more hay.
"The local species can grow with seeds, but the plant is not as thick or green and doesn't have as big of a crown," Mr Hassan said.
The fodder he grows is used to feed 100 cows and 3,000 ostriches at a nearby farm.
The project began around a decade ago, when Icarda, experts and government officials worked with herders to catalogue the UAE's grasses.
Of the 350 species commonly identified in the UAE, a handful were put up against Rhodes grass to see which were less thirsty.
"In the summertime, with a small amount of water, the Rhodes vanished, but the [Buffel grass] was doing quite well," said Mr Moustafa.
They also tested the nutritional value, as well as whether the grasses produced any toxins. After five years, they had perfected a growing system, with ideal planting times and a care regime.
In 2008, Icarda established a seed unit to increase the number of plants available for farmers.
Now, it is planning to develop facilities in the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia to check whether seeds are healthy.
"One disease can destroy everything," said Mr Moustafa.
Oman's unit is set to open next month.
According to Mr Moustafa, farmers need a "complete package," with easy instructions, technical advice and small subsidies to modernise irrigation if they are going to be tempted to switch to Buffel grass.
mdetrie@thenational.ae
The specs
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Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
