Sinai Palm Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions

-Who is Habiba Plantation? Maged El Said and his family have lived in Sinai for decades. Maged has become an upstanding local figure and one of the pioneers of the tourism industry, investing in both a camp and an organic farm development. -Why should I participate? Participating gives you a guaranteed return on your investment and will support production from Sinai, backing community based activities. -How is my return calculated? What am I paid? Your return/payout will be calculated on an average of all shareholders trees common production (from your phase) to insure fair payment is received by all investors. -Do I own the tree, can I move it? No, the tree is property of Habiba Plantation, but the value of the fruit from your shares is yours. -Can I take fruit? No, you may only take cash return from the sale of the dates. A 20% discount will be offered to you on all Sinai Palm Foundation products available to the equivalent weight of your shares production. -Can I get a refund? If at any time you must leave the Sinai Palm Foundation you will receive a full refund of your shares original sales price, payable within 3 months of contract termination. -Why is the Original Sales Price refunded and not its current market value? Contractually the Sinai Palm Foundation can only guarantee a refund of its original sales price due to the fluctuating market value and the projects sustainability. At the time of any contract termination the Sinai Palm Foundation MAY be able to purchase your share directly at its market value, but this is not guaranteed. Alternatively a broker service will be available, with a fee of 5%, to assist shareholders in securing third party buyers. -Can my contract be terminated? Yes, any slander, libel, criminal activity or corruption by the shareholders of the Sinai Palm Foundation will result in total contract termination with full refund of shares payable immediately. -What is Share Cropping? Share Cropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land. It encourages the cropper to remain on the land throughout the harvest season to work the land, solving the harvest rush problem. At the same time, since the cropper pays in shares of his harvest, owners and croppers share the risk of harvests being large or small and prices being high or low. (Source: Wikipedia)

-How can I purchase more shares with my profits? When your share return is sufficient to purchase a new share and there are shares available, you may purchase more shares from your profits. Sinai Palm Foundation can hold your finances until such time as you are ready for any additional shares. Original investors will always have priority. -Who owns the business? The land, the trees, business and foundation is privately and completely owned by the Habiba Plantation, regardless of quantity of shares owned by outside parties. -What happens in case of death? According to Islamic law; if the owner dies, the contract is not terminated and his heirs take his place. If a person to whom the upkeep of the trees was entrusted dies, his heirs take his place. And if they do not do the job themselves, nor hire a person for the work, the Mujtahid will hire a person and pay from the estate of the dead person, and divide the crop between the heirs of the deceased and the owner of the trees. -What are the benefits? - high returns on investments - discount on produce - charitable tax return opportunities - secure money back guarantee of original investment - community involvement - sustainable investment -What is Habiba Organic Farm? Habiba Organic Farm is the first organic farm in a Bedouin settlement in Nuweiba, South Sinai, Egypt, started in 2007. The farm is a piece of desert turned into fertile land. Produce in the year 2012 includes eggplant, fennel, asparagus, oranges, limes, zucchini, dates, corn, tomatoes, figs, mulberries, artichokes, olives, okra and herbs such as mint, basil, lemon balm and rosemary. Continuing experiments and trialand-error projects indicate what is suitable to grow and their necessary conditions. The mission of Habiba Organic Farm is to promote sustainable agriculture and the permaculture lifestyle within Nuweibas local community and the surrounding Sinai, leading by example. Through the efforts of many volunteers we have succeeded in developing a high yielding, totally organic farm, delivering healthy, fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs to the local community, initiating production from Sinai. We are currently in the process of complying with Demeter standards of organic farming.