After ten years of care and follow-up the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza registered a new success with the plantation of the Feijoa tropical fruit a project that began 10 years ago at an agricultural testing station in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis.
The Director-General of Guidance and Rural Development at the Ministry of Agriculture Nizar Al-Wahidi told the PIC that the ministry decided to bring the fruit to Gaza whose original home is Argentina trying to cultivate it here because it is full of benefits as the condition in Gaza suit its cultivation.
According to Al-Wahidi the ministry managed to plant a thousand trees in the Gaza Strip under conditions that facilitated its growth and well-being and expected that the new fruit will attract a large number of citizens because of its distinctive taste and strong and good flavor.
What is the Feijoa?
It is one of the species of Jackfruit which takes oval and circular shape. It is very similar to the fruit of guava covered in green ranging in softness and roughness and very much looks like avocado but it is very tasty.
It tastes like pineapple but it is not pineapple and it looks like the juicy flavor of guava but it is not and it smells like strawberries but it is not. It is a combination of tropical fruits.
Great demand
The fruit is widely popular around the world. Al-Wahidi describes its taste as wonderful and it has many beneficial elements. The agricultural expert expects the fruit to be much in demand by the Palestinian people who seek diversity.
Al-Wahidi explained that the fruit will break the routine in which the Palestinians rely on the known traditional fruits indicating that the entry of the fruit to the market and trying it by Palestinians will make it a popular trade.
Health and interest
The fruit is full of iodine which is only found in seafood and is very beneficial for those suffering from diseases and thyroiditis.
Experts assert that the fruit’s peel is full of benefits which contain antioxidants that are used to prevent cancer have beneficial effects on the digestive system and help treat gastritis.
According to a scientific study the fruit of Feijoa is very nutritious. In every 100gm of it there is 0.3mg of protein 0.2mg of fat 1mg of sodium 3mg of carbohydrates 4.8mg calcium 44mg potassium 2.7 mg of sugar 14 calories and 0.6g of dietary fiber.
Aromatic and decorative
According to Al-Wahidi the tropical fruit is very beautiful and could be used for decorative purposes in areas suitable for cultivation.
The Feijoa tree could reach a four-meter height and it looks beautiful during flowering producing large flowers which have unusual silver leaves the thing that gives them beautiful and unique shape which also attracts attention. The fruit is somewhat primitive and looks like small Zucchinis.
Home country
The fruit originally grows up in Argentina Paraguay and Brazil and is currently grown in Australia Chile Bahamas France Israel India Jamaica Italy Portugal New Zealand Spain Russia the United Kingdom and United States.
At last the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza was able to bring the plant into Gaza and succeeded in harvesting its first fruits after nearly 10 years of testing and planting it in suitable conditions. This success is an important achievement on the way to enrich the Palestinian food culture with new modern varieties that are being produced as science is developing all over the world.
