Date festival to be launched on Tuesday

More than 2,000 farmers from the UAE will converge on the fertile border town of Liwa on Tuesday for their landmark annual palm date festival that will include contests for the best date fruit, a handicraft show and other activities.

The 10-day event has become a hallmark of the eastern town of Liwa near the Saudi border since it was launched many years ago by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayn as part of his efforts to revive the national desert heritage.

Last year’s event attracted nearly 2,273 participants and over 70,000 visitors and organizers expect the turnout at the next event to be even bigger despite soaring summer temperatures and humidity.

UAE farmers boasting about their palm output will bring their date fruits in massive baskets to be put on show at the festival before they are checked by a special panel for the announcement of the most beautiful date fruit. Large prizes await the winners in the contest, the largest in the Middle East.

The Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority is organizing tomorrow’s event, which will continue until July 21.

“This is more than a mere date show,” said Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazouri, a culture and heritage adviser at the Abu Dhabi crown prince’s court.

“It is a major cultural festival and a unique event in the region…besides dates, the event will include an exhibition of handicraft by UAE facilities….this exhibition will include about 160 stands displaying all types of handicraft that reflect our heritage and history,” he told reporters late Sunday.

The event’s director, Obaid al Mazroui, said the festival would also include a bazaar, children tents, a date market, cultural contests and folklore shows.

He said scores of types of date fruit would be exhibited during the event, including Khalas, Dabbas, Khaneezi, Nukhba, Mango, Lemon and others.

 “Only home-grown date fruits are allowed in the festival and only those grown by the farmer himself are allowed to take part,” he said.

“This event is not just a contest for the best dates but to maintain our tradition and heritage…it is also intended to encourage UAE farmers to look after their date trees and plant more…this is a very important cultural event.”

The UAE, the second Arab economy after Saudi Arabia, has the largest number of fruit-bearing palm date trees in the Middle East, estimated at more than 16 million trees at the end of 2009, according to official data.

The surge in the number of trees from less than 10 million 15 years ago was a result of a costly palming programme as part of an overall greening drive launched by late Sheikh Zayed, who was known for his love of farming.

Officials estimate the UAE has pumped in excess of Dh10 billion into greening and forestation projects over the past 20 years and the projects involved the fertile eastern region, western farmlands, Abu Dhabi city and other areas.

By the end of 2009, the UAE’s fruit-bearing date trees accounted for nearly a fifth of the total palm trees in the Arab world, showed the figures by the Khartoum-based Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD).
Saudi Arabia was second to Egypt in the region in date production and third to the UAE and Egypt in the number of fruitful palm trees.