Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) will host the Liwa Date Festival from July 17-26 in the town of Liwa in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the festival includes rich heritage events and the important competition of Mazayin Al Ratab (half-ripe dates).
The competition aims to encourage measures to improve the quality of UAE dates and make them more competitive locally and internationally while preserving their natural health benefits.
Mohammad Khalaf Al Mazroui, Adach director-general, said: "The Festival comes in line with the implementation of Adach's strategy to preserve the heritage of Abu Dhabi, and in particular to protect palm trees which have a prominent place in UAE's heritage and the nation's memory."
Future in mind
"This heritage is a troth that we must protect and preserve so that it becomes an essential element of UAE daily lives, embodying the spirit of authenticity and heritage, developing the past, and transferring its characteristics to future generations in accordance with the saying of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan [that] ‘He who does not have a past, has neither a present nor a future','' Al Mazroui said.
The event aims to educate farmers on modern farming methods and how to care for palm trees in order for them to yield a useful economic output. It also aims to encourage farmers to pay more attention to matters relating to quality in the production of dates without chemical additives.
