Sharjah: Starting from tomorrow, visitors can witness palm owners and farmers showcasing the best dates in the UAE and vying for prizes worth up to Dh1.5 million at the fifth edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival.
The festival will be open to visitors daily from 8am to 10pm at Expo Al Dhaid, organisers said today.
The four-day event is being organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and it involves the participation of dozens of palm growers from Sharjah and the other emirates of the country. This year’s festival is packed with a variety of activities and contests between palm owners and farmers who will display various types of dates produced in 2021.
The festival offers prizes ranging from Dh2,000 to Dh30,000, bringing the total prizes to Dh1.5 million. The increase in prizes this year is attributed to the SCCI’s keenness to support palm owners and farmers, develop dates-based local industries and improve the overall quality of Emirati dates.
Local mangoes, figs part of new categories
This year’s edition of the festival also involves the addition of two new categories — locally-grown mangoes and yellow and red figs, in addition to other categories.
In order to be showcased at the festival, the dates must be of a particular size, they must be ripe and they have to be delivered in ‘Mekhrafa’.
Participants in the elite category of the contest must submit three varieties and the quantity should not be less than 3kg for each item — excluding Khalas and Khunaizi.
