Winners of Date Palm Award announced

ABU DHABI: The winners of the twelfth Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation 2020 (KIADPAI) was announced in the Capital on Wednesday.

Prof. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of KIADPAI, said the Award has attracted participants from top researchers, experts, farmers and those interested in the date palm sector, from all around the world competing in its varied categories.

The categories are: ‘Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology’, ‘Pioneering Development and Productive projects’, ‘Pioneering and Sophisticated Innovations Serving the Agricultural Sector’, ‘Influential Figure in the Field of Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation,’ and the ‘Distinguished

Farmer Award.’

The approved winners of the four award categories are Dr. Ikram Blilou: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, KSA from the Category: ”Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology”, American University of Beirut, Lebanon from the category “Pioneering Development and Productive Projects”, Al-nakhli, Dubai, UAE from “Pioneering and Sophisticated Innovations Serving the Agricultural Sector” and equally between Prof. Kazuo Shinozaki,japan and Dr. Hasnaa Harrak, Morocco from the category: “Influential Figure in the Field of Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation.”

Prof. Zaid said that the winners of the various categories of the award are an added value that contributes to the development of the date palm sector and agricultural innovation worldwide, expressing the hope that the award will receive more participation in its next session to serve this sector and promote it at all levels.

Dr. Helal Humaid Saed Al Kaabi, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Award, confirmed that KIADPAI has marked the number of applicants to 141 candidates representing 28 countries around the world in its 12th session with the Category of Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology as usual having the highest participation rate of 59 participants.

While the Category of Pioneering and Sophisticated Innovations serving the Agricultural Sector having 39 participants, followed by 22 in the category of Influential Figure in the Field of Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation and 16 in the Category for Pioneering Development and Productive Projects.

Prof Zaid added that the winners of the twelfth session were determined in accordance with international standards and mechanisms used in presenting the award, based on the report of the scientific committee and arbitration of the participating works and the approval of Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and President of the Award’s Board of Trustees.