Sanaa: Sanaa University today launched the planting of 2,400 authentic Yemeni coffee seedlings, provided by Haraz Coffee, in one of the agricultural fields that had been reclaimed on the university campus as part of the journey back to glory. The President of the University, Dr Mohammed Al Bukhayti, along with his deputies, assistants, deans of faculties, and the head of the Coffee Producers Associations Union, Mohammed Othman, participated in planting the seedlings in the farm that was reclaimed and designated for coffee cultivation in front of the Faculty of Engineering.
According to Yemen News Agency, Dr Al Bukhayti explained that the university worked to reclaim the land, prepare and level it, and provide a modern irrigation network for watering it, in preparation for planting it today with 2,400 authentic Yemeni coffee seedlings, to express the history and identity of Yemen and its civilisational symbol for which ancestors were renowned throughout history. He affirmed that coffee cultivation in Yemen is not merely an agricultural activity or a source of income, but rather an integral part of national identity, history, and conscience, explaining that for Yemenis, coffee represents a story of civilisation whose details they crafted over centuries and carried its fragrance to the world.
The President of Sanaa University praised the initiative of Haraz Coffee in supplying the university with authentic coffee seedlings from the good land of Haraz, which is distinguished and famous for cultivating and producing high quality coffee, as this region has proven its competence and leadership in coffee cultivation across Yemen. He pointed to the university's efforts, represented by the Faculty of Agriculture, to reclaim other areas to expand the agricultural area and increase green spaces on the university campus with fruit trees and cash crops, especially after the success of planting more than 2,200 seedlings of various types and kinds of fruits, contributing to enhancing the practical aspect for students of the Faculty of Agriculture and achieving sustainable development.
For his part, the Vice President of the University for Graduate Studies, Dr Hammoud Al Anoomi, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Dr Hisham Al Jabili, and the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Khalil Al Khattab, pointed to the importance of coffee cultivation at Sanaa University, in valleys, and on terraced mountains. They affirmed that the coffee seedling planted today in the soil of Sanaa University, or in the mountains of Haraz, or any Yemeni region, is not planted only to produce fruit, but rather to declare the Yemeni people's adherence to their identity, authenticity, and confidence that their generous land is capable of impressing the world with its unique Mocha.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Haraz Coffee, Ghalib Al Harazi, spoke about the significance and symbolism of launching the planting of coffee seedlings at Sanaa University, the largest university leading the education train in Yemen, capable of carrying the idea and experience to all universities and educational institutions in Yemen. He considered Yemeni coffee one of the greatest agricultural and civilisational treasures in Yemen, known globally as Mocha after the historic port of Al Mokha from which the fame of Yemeni quality spread to the world, explaining that Yemeni coffee has remained for centuries a symbol of quality and authenticity, maintaining its position as one of the finest types of coffee globally and an important contributor to Yemen's economic and cultural identity.
For his part, the head of the Coffee Producers Associations Union in Yemen, Othman, blessed the planting of coffee seedlings on the Sanaa University campus, where history meets Yemeni identity, and its pioneering role as an educational field, a successful experience, and the possibility of enhancing the experience in all universities to cultivate coffee and preserve its status. He affirmed that this direction comes in response to official directives to restore Yemeni coffee to its historical status and global fame, to incentivise farmers to replace non cash crops with coffee trees that yield sustainable economic returns, and to encourage universities and educational institutions to follow the example of Sanaa University's experience and expand coffee cultivation in every institution, village, and city.