Under the patronage of Mansour bin Zayed…the launch of the third session of the Al Wathba Dates Festival
ABU DHABI, 16th JANUARY / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chief of the Presidential Cabinet, the activities of the third session of the “Al Wathba Dates Festival” kicked off yesterday evening, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority within the Sheikh Zayed Festival in the Al Wathba area in Abu Dhabi, and continues until January 24th.
The first day’s activities were attended by His Excellency Abdullah Mubarak Al Muhairi, Acting Director General of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, and His Excellency Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events Sector at the Authority, amid a large presence of farmers, visitors to the Sheikh Zayed Festival, and those interested in the agriculture and heritage sectors.
The first day of the festival witnessed the launch of the “Dates Auction”, which represents a platform to highlight the quality of local production and provide the opportunity for visitors to purchase the finest types of Emirati dates. The most expensive sale was for a box of the “Zamili” variety, worth 800 dirhams, while the total sales amounted to 33,550 dirhams, and the quantity of dates sold reached 460 kilograms, with a total of 160 boxes.
Dates participating in the “Al Wathba Elite” competition, the results of which will be announced today, Friday, were also received as part of the date decoration competitions at the festival.
The festival aims to support palm farmers, encourage local production of dates, and promote innovation in this vital industry in a way that serves the food security system and achieves sustainable agricultural development. Its organization comes within the framework of the UAE’s interest in the palm tree and its products, as a symbol of authenticity and part of the national identity.
The festival includes 14 various competitions, for which 116 prizes are allocated with a total value exceeding two million dirhams, and they include 7 competitions in decorating dates for the varieties “Al Wathba Elite, Al Dabbas, Al Khalas, Al Fard, Al Shishi, Bu Maan, and Al Zamili”, in addition to two competitions for packaging dates “with and without additives”, three cooking competitions, a photography competition in two themes, “Emirati Heritage, Environment and Sustainability”, and a competition. For live drawing.
The festival is a forum for exchanging experiences between farmers on modern farming methods and methods of caring for palm trees. It also offers visitors a rich heritage experience through the popular market, which displays products that reflect the Emirati identity, and the date village, which includes 40 shops selling dates to the public, in addition to various popular events and shows, which enhances the festival’s position as a family destination that combines knowledge and entertainment, preserving the authentic Emirati agricultural heritage and passing it on to future generations.
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