In Pictures: Liwa date festival and auction

Visitors during the first edition of the Liwa Date Festival and Auction Liwa City, Al Dhafra Region, Abu Dhabi.

Organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee on 15th – 24th October, 2022, the event aims to underscore the UAE’s rich history of palm trees and dates, and provide a platform for businesses to communicate and build a stronger business network.

Major General Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Commander-in-Chief of the Abu Dhabi Police, and Chairman of the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi said, "The Liwa Date Festival and Auction contributes to supporting the efforts made at the country level to improve date palm cultivation, production and marketing.

The event helps ensure the agricultural industry's continued growth while supporting farmers in developing their production by educating them on the latest farming techniques and best international practices, enabling them to open fresh global markets for their products."

Al Mazrouei noted, “The Festival celebrates the rich history of palm trees in the UAE by pursuing a strategy of preserving and sustaining authentic Emirati heritage, being an integral part of the Emirati society and its deeply rooted traditions. Inspired by the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Festival is a reflection of the efforts made to pay tribute to these living symbols of the past’s authenticity, the present’s sustainable development and the future’s promise of ensuring food security, self-sufficiency and economic diversification.”

LIve cooking session at the first edition of the Liwa Dates Festival and Auction.

He commended the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in support of the projects aimed at enhancing food security, developing the agricultural sector, and enhancing date palm cultivation and production. Al Mazrouei also valued the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed of the festival and his follow-up of the various events taking place in the Al Dhafra region.

Eissa Saif Al Mazrouei, Vice Chairman of the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festival Committee - Abu Dhabi, said, “The festival comes within the framework of the heritage and agricultural events that are held in the UAE in general and the Al Dhafra region in particular, to highlight the Emirati heritage, promoting the production of dates for its vital role in economic diversification, and increasing the agricultural sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product.”

"The Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee specialises in agriculture during all the events it's organising. This year, the Liwa Date Festival and Auction will feature specialised competitions dedicated to olive oil and honey," he said, explaining that the Liwa Date Festival every year features competitions dedicated to various crops, like mangoes, limon and fig, in addition to the Aldar Fruit Basket Competition, which showcases tens of various summer fruit species grown in the UAE," he added.

Al Mazrouei explained that a total of 18 competitions will be held throughout the event. He said, “Some of these will be targeting farmers participating in the Date Auction that will include seven categories: Alfard, Khalas, Dabbas, Bumaan, Alshishi, AlSokari (Maftal), which is open to the farmers coming from the UAE and the rest of GCC states, and the Elite Round, during which multiple varieties of at least five luxurious types of dates have to be presented. There will also be the Date Packaging Competition, which is divided into two categories: additive-free dates and stuffed dates, where farmers, producers and young people in this field can participate.”

“The event will also witness a range of accompanying edutainment activities, including competitions involving questions about heritage and dates, poetic soirées, musicals, and exciting kids shows. This will all culminate in the awards ceremony where the competition and auction winners will receive their prizes."