Page 482 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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All of the above arc generally grown in small irrigated beds (not usually larger than 50 ft.
X 15 ft.) except tomatoes which arc commonly grown in trenches.
The important summer crops, melon, cucumber, pumpkin and gourd, arc usually easily
and successfully grown. Quality and flavour is often excellent, but occasionally a small (1 inch)
light-green caterpillar burrows into the underside of the fruits, and spoils the greater part of it.
This infestation is encouraged by the mistaken belief that date fibre between fruit and soil will
protect the fruit : it is also encouraged by failure to turn the fruits while they develop. This
damage is easily overcome by laying the fruits on dry brushwood and moving them a little each
day. Cucurbits are commonly grown in trenches or occasionally in long narrow beds and heavy
manuring and frequent irrigations (daily or in early stages twice daily) are necessary. Planting
time may be in March or early April for melon and cucumber, and April for pumpkin and
gourd. Transplanting is not usually necessary as in local practice the seed is planted direct to
the trenches, but a more reliable method is to plant in small nursery beds (shaded from sun)
about the second week in March and transplant to trenches about three weeks later.
Local seed of all the above cucurbits varies considerably according to the care taken in
cleaning and drying, but is generally quite good. The American varieties are in greatest
demand, and give the best results.
Okra, brinijal, green and red peppers and chilli arc grown widely but not in any quantity
and with the exception of okra are generally of excellent quality. Their economic importance
however is small. All arc easily grown and there are no serious pests or diseases although after
late September okra is often spoiled by insect larvae which develop on the plant and burrow
into the succulent head.
The local seed for these vegetables, etc., is always reliable and good and imported seed is
seldom required. Planting is usually in March or April in well manured nursery beds and
transplanting a month later. Brinijal, the peppers and chilli are lightly pruned in late winter
and the standard of pruning is very poor indeed being done with a “ma’ash” or curved saw-
edged knife about eight inches in length, which is used for practically every agricultural oper­
ation from cutting lucerne to cultivating.
A great variety of tree-fruit is grown on Bahrain but is of little or no economic value to the
industry as a whole, mostly on account of the fact that it is in small quantity and in addition is
of very poor quality : mangoes often have a distasteful flavour: pomegranates are commonly
acrid ; grape bunches are ruined by bird pecks; fig trees are so ravaged by wood-borers (for
which the locals have no control) as to make the tree quite worthless ; paw-paw ripens unevenly
so that half the fruit is over-ripe while the other half is still white-fleshed. From a quality point
of view perhaps guava, citron and lime are best, but the supply is so small as to make them
unimportant. But there is no doubt that with good management and in a suitable area very
passable quality of all the above fruits (particularly grapes) can be obtained. All of them,
except perhaps citron and lime can be grown locally from seed or cuttings, but only an odd
enthusiast attempts this. It is more common for them to be imported as seedlings (or sticks).

V. The Market
The real profits from Bahrain’s agriculture undoubtedly fall to the landowners and middle­
men just as they do in any other undeveloped serf-like agricultural system. There is no question,
however, of resentment or dissatisfaction. The tenant is offered no encouragement whatsoever
to expand his cropping, for if he does this, he finds that either he floods the local market (and
export is often difficult) so that there is little or no profit, or, if there is a reasonable profit, he
finds his rent has correspondingly increased.
The date plantations are in nearly all cases owned by the shaikhs who either hire direct
labour or lease the land (usually for 2 years). For any crops other than dates, cash rents are
taken and in the case of date-palm plantations the rent is partly in cash and partly in kind, but
is so high that the tenant can expect something less than half the profits. A fortunate one may
get a half share of the profits.
The conditions of land tenancy and marketing are obviously bad from every possible
viewpoint and although land reform might prove a considerable obstacle (especially in a shaikh-
dom) there could be much improvement in the marketing system, which at present allows the
middle-man to live comfortably at the expense of the peasant.