SAUDI ARABIA

How Al-Dayer celebrates its coffee trees

November 21, 2018

JAZAN —Al-Dayer Bani Malek in the Jazan region is especially known for coffee trees that produce high quality Khoulani coffee, one of the finest types of coffee in the world.

Saudi Arabia produces the most important types of coffee in the world, where the mountains of Jazan, in the south of the kingdom, boast agricultural wealth, while placing the coffee tree in the forefront.

The tree was described by experts as green gold, and reports indicated that Jazan mountains embrace more than 54,000 coffee trees farmed by 600 farmers who produce about 500 tons of coffee annually.

Jazan’s farmers are known for their care and passion for the coffee tree, and they are looking to access the world by this product.

The nature of the mountainous region is rich with coffee trees and the climate is conducive for coffee planting. The coffee bean is cultivated about 800 meters above sea level, but harvesting this crop needs special attention so as not to break any branch while harvesting, as the branches are where the seeds grow again, which is known to any expert farmer.

Jazan farmers are specialized in cultivating coffee, and the skill has been passed down through many generations. Thus, the number of the coffee trees in the province reached 54,000 and the number of the farmers reached more than 500 in Al-Dayer Bani Malek alone.

Farmer Salman Bin Salem described the cultivation and the harvesting of the coffee seeds. He said the coffee tree needs about three years to begin fruition, and it takes about six months for the beans to turn into a grain that gradually becomes a dark red, which indicates that it is ready for harvesting.

After harvesting the coffee seeds, the drying phase starts in special shaded places, where the seeds need to be stirred for about three weeks. Drying it slowly makes the seed retain its taste. They then start another phase in the mills including peeling, separating the seeds of coffee from the crusts and then the roasting and grinding stages.

Coffee is one of the most famous products that Al-Dayer is known for, along with the eastern mountainous districts in Jazan.

A coffee festival is held in the region in order to support the cultivation of coffee and attract tourists and visitors. This year the festival will be in its sixth edition.

There are more than 77,000 coffee trees in the eastern mountain areas of Jazan. The number of the farmers who cultivate coffee has increased to 724 in all the mountainous governorates. Last year they produced 227 tons and is expected to reach 360 tons this year.

Fifty coffee farmers are expected to participate in the festival, and present Khoulani coffee products.

Saudi Aramco has also created an initiative for cultivation and production of coffee where they stated that the initiative enhanced the capabilities of the coffee farmers and trained them on the most recent scientific methods in cultivating and harvesting coffee. The initiative will help farmers to come up with a high quality product that meets all the specifications.

The Aramco initiative will include cultivating more than 8,500 seedlings with integrated irrigation systems, providing irrigation networks for those farms and establishing a coffee production factory. — Al-Arabiya English


November 21, 2018
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