July 9, 2012
Liwa Date Festival to begin on Thursday
Daily competitions and childrens’ activities to attract over 70,000 guests
A staple food during the holy month, hundreds of varieties of dates will this year be up for sale days before the start of Ramadan.
The Liwa Date Festival will this year be launched on July 12 in the Western Region, officials from the Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism and Culture (ADTCA) announced in the capital on Monday.
It will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and is expected to attract more than 70,000 visitors.
“We are hoping to see more guests this year as residents gear up for Ramadan,” said Obaid Khalfan Al Mazroui, the Festival director.
“Over 230 types of UAE dates will be on display and on sale. In addition, at least 300 Emirati families will contribute to the popular souk that displays hand-crafted items at the festival,” he added.
The seven-day event will include a kids’ tent, with cultural sessions to educate children on popular Emirati customs, food etiquette and greeting habits. A number of contests will also be organised for young children.
A much-anticipated date auction, an agricultural trade show, as well as poetry recital sessions will also be some of the Festival’s other draws.
Events like the Dhafra Camel Festival, Western Region Festival for Water Games, and the Emirates Desert Rally will also run alongside the Liwa Date Festival, contributing to the colour and traditional activities in the Western Region.
“The festival is a celebration of the country’s heritage and culture and is expected to be success on a local, regional and global scale,” he added. The event is supported by the Western Region Development Council (WRDC), which is working to develop the area as a tourist destination offering authentic Emirati experiences.
“The Arabian Gulf region, particularly the UAE, is known for producing the finest quality, world-class dates. This Festival [is a means of] encouraging farmers to improve the quality of dates they produce,” said Mohammad Hamad Bin Azzan Al Mazrouei, the director-general of the WRDC.
“It also [creates awareness about] modern farming technologies, in addition to promoting traditional products and handicrafts,” he added.
gulfnews : Liwa Date Festival to begin on Thursday
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July 12, 2012
Thousands expected at Liwa Date Festival
Daily competitions to be held and over 70,000 visitors expected
The Liwa Date Festival is opening its doors to thousands of visitors today as heritage games and shows, hand-made items and over 200 types of locally produced dates greet them.
Over 70,000 Emiratis, residents and tourists are expected to rush to the eighth edition of the festival as they prepare for Ramadan.
Among the most significant events is the daily Date Competition which will help visitors select the best wet-dates (Rutab) as over 2,600 farmers compete to win the prizes amounting to more than Dh 4 million in total. The standards for competing have been set by date experts.
A cooking competition will challenge chefs from all across the UAE to create dishes and desserts containing dates as their core ingredient, as well as local dishes which will be available for everyone.
Guests will be able to purchase souvenirs directly from 300 Emirati families participating in the traditional market.
This year also marks the second annual Mango and Lemon Competition which was launched in last year’s edition. This competition has added zest to commemorate the local tradition of adding a piece of mango or lemon with every batch of dates being served or given as a gift from family to another.
Participating farmers will be taught the latest and most efficient agricultural methods including the growth of healthy palm trees by focusing on quality and the minimum use of chemical additives.
Scenes from the past will be painted as Emirati artists exhibit work dedicated to UAE heritage while speakers tell stories to educate children on life before the discovery of oil.
gulfnews : Thousands expected at Liwa Date Festival
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July 13, 2012
Liwa Date Festival begins
Features daily Date Competition and dedicated each day to a special type
It can be argued that the Liwa Date Festival is one of the truest experiences of all things date-related and the Emirati culture as a whole.
Having opened its doors at 10 a.m. on Thursday under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the festival celebrates the the incessant hard work and agricultural knowledge of the country’s farmers.
“We have allocated areas which demonstrate the Bedouin’s way of life, by displaying models of the houses they lived in before the emergence of oil, as well as their contents,” said Obaid Khalfan Al Mazroui, the Festival director.
Since then, local farmers have excelled in the specialty of palm-tree cultivation and have become leaders in the field.
“The UAE’s farmers have proved themselves capable of competing on an international scale,” said Dr Abdul Wahab Al Zayed, Secretary General of the Khalifa International Date Palm Award. “This is why we encourage the Date Competition’s winning farmers to apply for our awards,” he continued.
The daily Date Competition which will run over the entire course of the festival, will dedicate each day to a special type of date. “Paying attention to the details of each date type and bringing experts for each category is necessary for accurate evaluation of results,” said Saud Al Fadda, Agricultural Administration Manager, Saleh Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi Endowments Administration, which was registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest date palm project in the world.
“I have shared my knowledge of technological advancements in agriculture and the ways of obtaining the highest-quality dates with my fellow farmers whom I have met here,” Al Fadda said during his first visit to the Liwa Date Festival. “Learning about the concerns which farmers have and the difficulties they regularly face will help me further improve my projects in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Emirati visitors keenly examine the dates on display for the competition during the Liwa Date Festival on the opening day in Liwa on Thursday.
gulfnews : Liwa Date Festival begins
[:::~Spartacus~:::];3178248 said:
are these dates or antibiotic tablets??
the best dates in the world are from pakistan and iran
Sir,
Everyone has his own taste, for me the best dates are from Arabia.
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19 May 2012
UAE dates named best selling product
In a significant development that is sure to boost the commercial prospects of UAE’s agricultural products in international market, the organizers of SIAL China 2012, the Asian edition of one of the world’s top food exhibitions, have named the UAE dates the best selling product at the exhibition and awarded a certificate to Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), which put together the UAE pavilion that comprised some of the country’s top dates companies.
ADFCA promoted UAE dates vigorously at the exhibition, which was held during May 9-11, 2012 in Shanghai. Winner of this award was declared close on the heels of the exhibition, following a judging process, which took into account the the quality and high nutritional value of UAE dates as well as the high demands for them from visitors and investors.
ADFCA Pavilion hosted some of the UAE’s largest date production companies such as Al Foah Company, Liwa Dates, Emirates Delight Dates Factory and Royal Dates Company.
Rashid Mohamed Al Shariqi, Director General of ADFCA, said, “We owe this great achievement to HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority for his efforts to support dates, and his encouragement to compete in international markets. This important award is sure to enhance the international profile of UAE dates”.
“The active participation of national companies at the exhibition was the determining factor. Their high quality products attracted more than 10,000 visitors to our pavilion as well as huge investor demands from China, France and Japan for marketing UAE dates in their respective countries.
This has opened up new and hitherto largely unexplored new market opportunities. Through our participation, we were also able to rope in many companies to participate in SIAL Middle East and the Emirates Date Palm Festival,” he explained.
Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority was established in 2005 as an independent food regulatory agency for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Authority embodies the Abu Dhabi Government’s commitment to protecting its consumers, particularly by ensuring the safety and quality of food served throughout the public.
UAE dates named best selling product - Khaleej Times
