After eight years of experimenting, last month Gazan farmer Massoud al-Zane succeeded in growing feijoa, an egg-shaped fruit with a cream-colored flesh and a jelly-like centre, for the first time in Palestine, al-monitor.com reports.
On the nursery north of Gaza City, Zane explains how the feijoa is the fruit of the Acca sellowiana, a small tree commonly found in Brazil and northern Argentina that produces guava-shaped green fruit. The production cycle of feijoa takes a whole year.
The warm Gaza climate suits the growth of the tree, as it can endure high temperatures, cold spells and high water salinity. The tree is seldom infected with pests, so farmers do not have to use pesticides and can earn a higher profits as a result.
