In Pictures: Hatta Honey Festival opens

The Hatta Honey Festival that celebrates the beekeeping farmers and honey makers of the UAE returned to Dubai’s Hatta on Tuesday, making it the ‘sweet’ time to visit the mountainous village.

Dubai Municipality launched the 7th edition of the Hatta Honey Festival at the Municipality’s Hatta Hall. From international award winning Sidr and Samr honey from the UAE to the expensive Omani Frankincense honey, many varieties of natural honey are being showcased at the festival that will run till December 31.

From propolis candies to honey-ginger shots, several types of honey products are also on sale. Most of the around 50 honey producers from across the UAE — including Emirati beekeepers, who form the majority, and a few Arab apiarists — are also providing limited time offers to the visitors at the five-day festival that is being held from 9am till 8pm daily.

In keeping with the Municipality’s efforts to give the necessary assistance to local production sectors in Hatta, the festival aims at supporting the UAE’s honey production industry and improving the economic opportunities available to its citizens.

Alia Al Harmoodi, acting CEO of the Environment, Health, and Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality highlighted that the event illustrates the significance of the honey production sector in Hatta, and is one of the vital development initiatives that seeks to improve the sector in the country.

She added that this is in accordance with the comprehensive development plan for Hatta unveiled by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which entails carrying out various development and economic initiatives and projects, and offering investment opportunities to the private sector.

“We are seeing more requests for the participation [from honey producers],” she said, referring to the growth of the festival since it was first launched in 2017. “It seems now more people are encouraged to do this business. Before, we were mostly seeing two types of honey. But, now we can see around seven types of honey here depending on the flowers and trees,” the official said, indicating that the festival has encouraged more apiarists to get into this business.

The bee farmers are showcasing various types of raw, unprocessed, natural honey. Al Harmoodi said the Municipality was providing quick assessment services for honey samples in the festival for exhibitors and visitors by utilising the latest technological innovations and chemical examination devices through the Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL). “This is consistent with the Municipality’s pledge to guarantee the quality of the honey products and compliance with UAE standards during the festival,”

Rabie El Hadek, owner of Al Hor Honey Trading, said it is not just the bees from the UAE that make honey in the country. Into this business for 22 years here, he said bees are brought in from Egypt, Oman and Australia to produce honey. “Because of the high cost and long distance involved, Australian bees are rarely imported. Most of the bees from abroad arrive from Egypt and some are from Oman,” said the Egyptian expat.

(Right to Left) Jay Soled, Amy Soled, Heather Soled, Amanda Soled, at the 7th edition of ‘Hatta Honey Festival’ on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, at Dubai Municipality’s Hatta Hall, Dubai.

Despite the rainy weather, the festival saw a good number of footfall in the morning itself including school students and others. The Soled family from the US, who are on their first visit to Dubai, said they found the signboards to the festival while on a trip to Hatta. “We do not have anything that resembles this in the US. It’s very impressive,” said the father Jay Soled.