Indian cultivates rice and wheat for the first time in UAE

An Indian expatriate in the UAE is set to enter record books by becoming the first person to cultivate rice and wheat as a crop in the Gulf nation.

Sudhish Kumar, who created a record by growing the longest okra in 2012, is unsure about the harvest, but says, "it will be the culmination of an experiment to prove that both rice and wheat can be grown in this part of the world."

"Rice hasn't been grown as a crop in



the UAE and there have been several failed attempts in places like Al Ain. If and when my current crop harvests, it will be first in the country," said the man from Kerala who claims to be an "accidental" farmer.

While rice will be harvested after a 90-day cycle next month, wheat should be ready after a 100-day cycle around the same time, he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

"I do everything myself and that means spending 3-4 hours of my time every day to make up for the required man-hours. Just sowing about 1,300 seeds took me almost a day," he said.

A commerce graduate with no formal qualification in agriculture, Kumar believes organic farming must be encouraged at all levels as it is "key to healthy living.