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ABU DHABI/WAM
The Al Dhafra Dates Festival and Auction continues to play a pivotal role as an integrated cultural and agricultural platform, featuring initiatives that promote local production and celebrate the UAE’s deep-rooted agricultural heritage.
Over the years, the festival has reinforced its standing as one of the leading heritage events in the UAE and the region by encouraging farmers to enhance the quality of their produce and offering them comprehensive marketing opportunities. It also supports date-related industries, helping to strengthen their presence in both local and global markets.
Through its successive editions, the festival has fostered knowledge exchange and research collaboration in palm cultivation and date production, contributing to the sustainable growth of this vital sector.
The 4th edition of the Liwa Dates Festival and Auction, organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority in strategic partnership with the Serh Group and supported by several government and private entities, concludes later today.
The festival reflects the UAE’s enduring commitment to the palm tree and its products, recognising it as a symbol of generosity and a cornerstone of the nation’s heritage and identity. The palm also plays a vital role in strengthening food security and promoting sustainable agricultural development.
This year’s festival featured a comprehensive programme of activities, including 21 competitions dedicated to dates, honey, cooking, packaging, drawing and photography, with 173 prizes totalling more than AED5.56 million awarded to outstanding farmers, producers and enthusiasts.
Throughout the event, an auction of Emirati dates showcased premium varieties to visitors and buyers, enhancing the market value of local produce and supporting the national product.
The Kingdom of Morocco participated as the Guest of Honour for this edition, underscoring the strong agricultural and food ties between the two countries.
A special Moroccan dates village displayed some of Morocco’s finest date varieties, offering visitors a chance to explore and purchase them directly from producers, symbolising the cultural and economic cooperation between the UAE and Morocco.
The festival also featured a Honey Village aimed at supporting beekeepers and honey producers, promoting local honey production, and familiarising visitors with the unique types and characteristics of Emirati honey.
The event’s diverse activities included traditional performances, art and photography exhibitions, educational workshops and awareness sessions, in addition to a heritage market featuring shops selling dates, date-based products and farming tools. Several government and private entities took part by offering interactive and educational initiatives for farmers and visitors.
The Al Dhafra Dates Festival forms part of a wider series of agricultural and heritage events that highlight the special place of the palm tree in Emirati life as a symbol of giving and generosity, and as an integral part of the nation’s collective memory. It stands as a testament to the efforts of ancestors who built this enduring agricultural legacy, ensuring prosperity and stability for families and farmers while reinforcing environmental and economic sustainability.
Today, the festival serves as an international platform to promote date varieties and palm-based products, showcase advanced agricultural technologies, and facilitate the exchange of expertise in cultivation, production and marketing. It continues to attract strong participation from exhibitors and visitors alike.
The festival also highlights the diversity of date varieties in the UAE through specialised retail outlets offering premium-quality products, motivating producers and farmers to adopt sustainable packaging and marketing practices that enhance the reputation and global competitiveness of Emirati dates.
Through its continuous editions, the Al Dhafra Dates Festival and Auction reaffirms its dedication to preserving the UAE’s agricultural heritage, supporting farmers and producers, and strengthening the competitiveness of Emirati dates in global markets, consolidating the country’s status as a world leader in the date industry and a hub for quality production and agricultural innovation.