Defying all odds, UAE grows rice in desert – Saudi Gazette

Defying all odds, UAE grows rice in desert – Saudi Gazette

UAE's Minister of Climate Change and Environment Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, right, is seen with Kwon Yongwoo, Ambassador of the Republic to Korea to the UAE. - WA photo. ABU DHABI - Rice is mostly grown under rain-fed climatic conditions but it did not deter the United Arab Emirates to explore the possibility of cultivating rice in the desert.. The announcement of a breakthrough was made by Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the minister of climate change, during his interview with the Bloomberg news agency.. According to the minister, preliminary results indicated a yield of 763kg of rice per 1,000 square meters.. After extensive testing, the project experts selected Asemi (Japonica) and FL478 (Indica) rice varieties to grow because of their ability to tolerate heat, salinity, and poor soil conditions..