Ajman: The fifth edition of the Liwa Ajman Dates Festival will kick off on Wednesday at the Emirates Hospitality Centre, giving visitors access to a wide range of local dates as well as several types of citrus fruits.
The four-day festival is expected to attract 15,000 visitors to its various activities, which include 40 stands displaying the best local dates and fruits, competitions, a cultural market and documentary screenings.
This festival, being held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman. is of great importance in preserving the UAE’s cultural heritage, activating tourism in the emirate, and encouraging the conservation and care of palm trees.
“Liwa Ajman Dates Festival has succeeded over the past years in enhancing its heritage and touristic status, and as a national event that serves the competition and raises awareness on the quality of dates on the one hand, and a means to attract tourists, residents and citizens on the other, which contribute to the promotion of domestic tourism,” said Saleh Al Geziry, director-general of the Ajman Tourism Development Department, said,
Among the competitions will be the Best Dates Competition, which is marked by the participation of a large number of palm tree farmers, as well as the fruits and citrus competition to encourage local fruit production, support farmers to maintain agriculture and give residents and visitors access to the local produce.
A cinema section will feature documentaries from the UAE National Archives on dates and palm trees and the vision of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan on the cultivation of palm trees, their importance and originality. There will also be lectures and educational seminars organised on the importance of agriculture in general and the status of palm trees in the UAE heritage, in particular.
The accompanying activities and events include the popular market with its traditional atmosphere related to palm trees and dates, as well as exhibitors who specialise in folklore crafts and handicrafts that reflect the UAE’s cultural heritage.
