Entrepreneur Ibrahim Alalim

A Saudi inventor says that his water-saving polymer technology is now being sought by a firm in the United Arab Emirates to plant trees.

Entrepreneur Ibrahim Alalim, who is currently in the United Arab Emirates, said talks are underway with the firm, which he did not want to name at this stage.

Alalim said the United Arab Emirates was the third country in the region showing interest in planting trees using the Polykem Hydrogel PagriSAP. Once placed in soil, it absorbs water 600 times its own weight.

Alalim said that countries are showing interest because trees help counter global warming and the movement of sand carried by the desert winds. Alalim said there are also ongoing negotiations with Kuwait Petrol Company, which also wants to plant trees for the same reasons, including providing a greener working environment for its workers.

He said his company, Estefa Group, had already planted 3,400 saplings of various types in Khurais in the Eastern Province for Saudi Aramco. The saplings were for cedar, acacia, neem, jatropa and moringa trees.

He said the technology acts as a water reservoir in the root zone, provides water on demand to the crop, and helps prevent water loss due to evaporation. “The polymer helps prevent water run-off and increases survival rates, often improving economics for the farmer by reducing the use of costly fertilizer and irrigation water,” he said.

“My invention improves growth and increases the yield of plantations in clay soil deserts with both arid and non-arid soils and inside green houses.”

He said the technology increased production at a farm in Al-Baha in 2013. The farm owner, Saleh bin Abbas, used the polymer to plant 7,000 olive trees in seven varieties, and harvested 13 tons of olives after one year from three-meter-high trees, Alalim said.

He said the polymer is produced worldwide and he was willing to provide a patent for anyone interested in Saudi Arabia. He said he developed his invention during a 20-year working stint in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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