Competitions of Al Dhaid Date Festival gain velocity
The fith edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival saw the introduction of two new categories, one for local mango and the other for yellow and red figs
The activities of the first two days of the Dhaid Date Festival, which is organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) atracted a large number of applicants for the Ratab Al Khalas competition, which was divided into farms of the northern Emirates regions and farms in the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The second day was dedicated to the Ratab Al Khezini and the Ratab Al Shishi competitions, while the last two days are dedicated to the competitions of the best Mazayna, the lemon, and the best Mekhrafa (for women).
The fith edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival, which began on Thursday, saw the introduction of two new categories, one for local mango and the other for yellow and red figs. The Organising Commitee allocated a special pavilion to showcase the products of the 2021 season from the two new categories. The door for participation was also opened on the fourth day of the festival to honour the winners of the local mango and yellow and red figs competitions, in addition to and a number of other prizes.
This year’s edition, which is held under the theme ‘Authenticity of the past and glory of the present’, includes 23 stands for displaying various types of dates. The organising commitee also urged the public to follow the festival’s accounts on social media plaforms to learn more about the raffle draws that will be held on several worthy prizes and iphone 12 Pro smartphones.
The Al Dhaid Date Festival has become one of the most important annual events that grab the atention of palm growers in the eastern and central regions of the Emirate of Sharjah and the various emirates of the country, said Mohammed Musabeh Al Tunaiji, general coordinator of the festival, underlining that the festival plays a key role in improving the quality and diversity of the local product of dates through its various competitions.
Therefore, the SCCI was keen to increase the value of the prizes of the festival, in addition to introducing new categories that contribute to maintaining the significant position of palm trees and encouraging their cultivation, in addition to highlighting the various types of crops that Sharjah and other emirates of the country are known for, he added.
For his part, Rashid Mohair Al Ketbi, Head of the Sorting and Evaluation Commitee, that the mango and fig competitions that were added to the festival in its fith session aim to expand the scope of agricultural varieties covered by the event. The new categories also serve as a base for other competitions to be launched in the coming editions in order to enhance the role of the festival in supporting and encouraging farmers, he noted.
Al Ketbi shed light on the conditions and criteria of participation in local mango and figs competitions, including; the participation should be from the local production of 2021 season, the crops must be disease-free, with appropriate size.
The corp should be delivered in ‘Mekhrafa’. The weight of the lemon should be eight kg, the yellow fig three kg, the red fig five kg, the local and mixed mango eight kg, all within one ‘Mekhrafa’.
When it comes to the best ‘Mekhrafa’ competition for women, the Ratab should be from the local production of 2021 season, in addition to showing the required documents of farmland or house ownership, Al Ketbi noted.
AL DHAFRA FESTIVAL: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the 15th edition of Al Dhafra Festival will be held from 28th October, 2021, to 22nd January, 2022.
Sheikh Mohamed issued directives to expand the festival to include camel mazayna ( beauty contest) competitions in Sweihan, Razeen and Madinat Zayed, in addition to the principal mazayna competition at the Al Dhafra Festival site. He also ordered the total prize money at the festival to be increased to Dhs110 million.
The 15th edition of the festival, which coincides with the country’s Year of the 50th celebrations, is set to witness widespread interest and increased participation by camel owners in the UAE and GCC countries.
The directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan reflect the leadership’s support for projects aimed at preserving and promoting UAE cultural heritage among future generations.