SHARJAH, The fifth edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival began on Thursday at the Expo Al Dhaid, Sharjah.
The four-day event is organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and will see the participation of dozens of palm growers, along with the official entities related to palm cultivation.
Present at the opening were, Sultan Abdullah bin Elwan, Acting Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment; Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI; Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of the SCCI; Muhammad Musabeh Al Tunaiji, General Coordinator of the Festival; Rashid Mohair Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Screening and Evaluation Committee; Khalifa Rashid Al Tunaiji, Chairman of the Events and Theatre Committee, and Jamal Saeed Bouzanjal, Head of the Media Committee, in addition to several officials and representatives of government agencies participating in the festival.
Following the launch, the SCCI Chairman, accompanied by several officials toured the stands and witnessed a part of the contests that kicked off on Thursday.
The winners will get cash prizes worth a total of AED1.5 million.
This year’s edition has two new categories, one for local mango and the other for yellow and red figs, in addition to other categories.
Expressing his gratitude to H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for his unwavering support to the Al Dhaid Date Festival, Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI, said that the Sharjah Chamber had first launched the event in 2016 as an annual platform to support palm growers and farmers in Al Dhaid in Sharjah, and the UAE in general.
Al Owais extended his sincere thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his generous support to the festival and his encouragement to citizens to cultivate and expand the green areas and ensure food security.
Al Dhaid Date Festival has economic dimensions the Chamber seeks to accomplish by contributing to rising and diversifying the quality of local products, said Al Awadi, Director-General of the SCCI, explaining that the SCCI is working, through the development of the festival competitions and its prizes, to provide more opportunities for farmers.
Al Awadi mentioned that the UAE accounts for about 30 percent of the global trade volume of dates and is also among the top 10 producers of dates in the world.
The festival is open to visitors daily from 8:00 to 22:00.
Source: Emirates News Agency