Al Foah pays Dh158m to farmers for marketing date fruit

Abu Dhabi: Al Foah, an Abu Dhabi-based company with a mission to make the UAE dates sector financially viable and internationally competitive, has announced that it has paid the fourth tranche of Dh158 million to farmers for marketing their dates through the company’s sale centres from September 11-30, 2015.

Dhafer Ayed Al Ahbabi, chairman of Al Foah, noted that the fourth tranche was the largest ever paid by the company since the beginning of the dates marketing season.

So far, he said, the company had disbursed Dh427 million to farmers. “As many as 8,000 farmers have benefited from the fourth payment for the amounts of dates received.”

Ahbabi confirmed that the current financial instalments were paid within the framework of a mechanism adopted by the company for the sake the farmers’ convenience.

“The money is paid periodically during the season to enable farmers to satisfy the seasonal needs of their farms. This reflects the company’s dedication to farmers’ interests and its endeavours to address their concerns,” he added.

Musallam Obaid Balkhalis Al Ameri, CEO of Al Foah, said that “92,000 tons of dates were received from across the emirates, of which 54,000 tons were from farmers in the eastern region, 29,000 tons from farmers in the western regions, and nearly 9,000 tons from the farmers of northern emirates.”

The company, which has established and developed world-class processes and systems to serve more than 18,000 farmers across the UAE, aims to build a global brand of the Arabian date as an intrinsic part of Arab life and heritage.

The UAE is one of the top 10 date palm cultivators in the world, with dates grown in royal palaces, private residences, public gardens and streets as well as on commercial farms.