Latest news with #21stLiwaDateFestival
Al Etihad
an hour ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Hamdan bin Zayed visits 21st Liwa Date Festival
19 July 2025 19:40 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), has visited the 21st Liwa Date Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority and underway in Al Dhafra Region until July 27, 2025. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the festival affirms the UAE leadership's commitment to preserving national heritage and supporting related sectors. Read more: #AletihadNewsCenter #UAE #AbuDhabi @Turathuna_ae — Aletihad English (@AletihadEn) July 19, 2025 His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed highlighted the continued support of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toward efforts that safeguard Emirati culture and promote agricultural the visit, His Highness praised the festival's role in showcasing the cultural and agricultural significance of the palm tree as a symbol of national identity and in supporting local communities in Abu Dhabi, in line with the aspirations of the UAE Year of Highness underscored the festival's importance in empowering the local community, supporting farmers, and encouraging the cultivation of palm trees as a pillar of food security, and a key component of the UAE's heritage. He also commended the active participation of government and private entities, producers, manufacturers, and traditional craftswomen, highlighting Emirati traditions and promoting palm-related Highness toured the festival pavilions, reviewed entries in various competitions, met with judging committees for both the date and fruit competitions, and visited sections featuring heritage crafts, palm saplings, agricultural tools, a fresh dates market, the traditional souq, and displays from government and private sector organisations. His Highness was accompanied during the visit by His Excellency Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority; His Excellency Nasser Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary of the Ruler's Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region; His Excellency Abdullah Mubarak Al Muhairi, Acting Director General of the Authority; His Excellency Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events Sector at the authority; and a number of officials.
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Today
Liwa Date Festival reinforces national identity, says Mansour
His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, on Monday visited the 21st Liwa Date Festival in Liwa City, Al Dhafra Region. The festival – organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority under the patronage of His Highness – is considered one of the most prominent agricultural and heritage festivals in the UAE. The event reaffirms the Authority's commitment to celebrating one of the UAE's most enduring cultural and agricultural traditions. During his tour, His Highness reviewed several pavilions of government and private entities showcasing their services and innovations in the agricultural sector. He also listened to explanations about the festival's various competitions and activities, which highlight the social and economic value of the palm tree and its products. The event also underscores the tree's contribution to food security and the enhancement of agricultural sustainability. His Highness Sheikh Mansour stressed that the agriculture and food production sector was witnessing significant growth in the UAE, thanks to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and his continuous support for empowering farmers, producers, and manufacturers to ensure sustainable food production and strengthen national food security. He affirmed that the festival reflects the Emirati citizen's deep connection with the land and reinforces national identity by celebrating the palm tree as a cultural symbol. Supporting local agriculture and empowering farmers contributes to a balanced economic distribution and sustainable development aligned with the national goal of achieving food self-sufficiency. His Highness also praised the festival's role in boosting economic activity in the Al Dhafra Region by attracting thousands of visitors annually and serving as a platform that brings together farmers, experts, and pioneers in the agricultural industries — cementing the agricultural sector as a vital contributor to the national economy. Accompanying His Highness on the tour were Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, and several officials from the authority. The Liwa Date Festival features numerous competitions with total prizes exceeding Dhs8.7 million. It includes a range of heritage activities that aim to preserve the legacy and status of the palm tree as a symbol of the past and a blessing of the present. It also strengthens family and community bonds, ensures intergenerational continuity, and promotes values of cooperation, belonging, and cultural heritage preservation — supporting the goals of the UAE's 'Year of the Community.' The festival also plays a vital role in supporting the local community and productive families in the region through the traditional market, which includes stalls for selling fresh dates, date products, palm-related items, factories, and nurseries. It also hosts pavilions of participating sponsors and supporters. The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) is participating in the 20th edition of the Liwa Date Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the festival takes place in Liwa, Al Dhafra Region, Abu Dhabi, from 15th to 28th July 2024. The Authority emphasised the significance of their participation in the festival to support heritage and cultural events aimed at promoting the Al Dhafra region both economically and as a tourist destination. ADAFSA aims to showcase its role in developing the palm sector in Abu Dhabi through various plans and programmes aimed at enhancing palm cultivation and date production, supporting agricultural sustainability, and bolstering the biosecurity system to prevent diseases and pests. This year, ADAFSA's participation includes an introduction to its comprehensive range of services provided to farm owners, especially agricultural extension services. The Authority will highlight its efforts in pest control for palm trees, integrated pest management programmes, and promoting best practices in palm tree care, particularly focusing on the installation and management of pheromone and light traps and recommended treatment methods for palm trunk infestations. WAM
Al Etihad
3 days ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Now, farmers get expert agri-advice at their fingertips
16 July 2025 21:25 MAYS IBRAHIM (LIWA CITY)Questions about crop care are part of every farmer's day, but the answers are often buried in academic papers or require bringing in experts who are miles away. This Emirati entrepreneur is changing that by providing timely and reliable expert guidance at farmers' Al Kirbi spent the past five years developing Fesilah, a mobile application that cuts through the barriers of distance and complex scientific literature. In an interview with Aletihad at the 21st Liwa Date Festival in Liwa City, he explained how this tech-solution operates as an all-in-one agricultural knowledge base. Its vast repository of resources includes more than 3,700 scientific articles, carefully curated and summarised to just two pages for easy reading - a crucial feature for busy farmers who may not have the time to sift through lengthy research range from seed selection and irrigation techniques to sustainability, plant diseases, post-harvest practices, and even agricultural app also catalogues over 750 varieties of domestic, foreign, and seasonal crops, along with details on more than 750 international and local agricultural exhibitions, and over 650 global conferences and information access, the smart application provides a virtual "Dr. Fesilah" service, according to Al allows farmers to communicate with a team of expert agricultural engineers for tailored advice on cultivation methods, irrigation systems, fertiliser use, pruning techniques, post-harvest handling, or diagnoses and treatments for plant health launched only five months ago, the application has already attracted over 15,000 agricultural users across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, with plans to expand globally and support additional languages. Inspiration Behind the App The idea was born from Al Kirbi's experience working in an administrative role in the public sector, where he witnessed firsthand the difficulties farmers face without immediate access to expert guidance."It's hard for agricultural engineers to be onsite all the time," he said. "Fesilah solves that by bringing expert advice directly to farmers' phones."Al Kirbi believes the app can play a vital role in bolstering regional food security. By offering accurate, localised guidance, Fesilah empowers farmers to increase yields, reduce waste, and adopt more sustainable practices, he said. The app's name, Fesilah, is derived from the Arabic word for a young offshoot of a date palm. According to Al Kirbi, the concept is also inspired by a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which encourages planting trees even if the world were coming to an end.
Al Etihad
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Mansour bin Zayed visits Liwa Date Festival, stresses importance of supporting farmers in enhancing food security
14 July 2025 23:18 LIWA (WAM)His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, today visited the 21st Liwa Date Festival in Liwa City, Al Dhafra festival - organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority under the patronage of His Highness - considered one of the most prominent agricultural and heritage festivals in the UAE. The event reaffirms the Authority's commitment to celebrating one of the UAE's most enduring cultural and agricultural his tour, His Highness reviewed several pavilions of government and private entities showcasing their services and innovations in the agricultural sector. He also listened to explanations about the festival's various competitions and activities, which highlight the social and economic value of the palm tree and its products. The event also underscores the tree's contribution to food security and the enhancement of agricultural Highness Sheikh Mansour emphasised that the agriculture and food production sector is witnessing significant growth in the UAE, thanks to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and his continuous support for empowering farmers, producers, and manufacturers to ensure sustainable food production and strengthen national food Highness affirmed that the festival reflects the Emirati citizen's deep connection with the land and reinforces national identity by celebrating the palm tree as a cultural symbol. Supporting local agriculture and empowering farmers contributes to a balanced economic distribution and sustainable development aligned with the national goal of achieving food Highness also praised the festival's role in boosting economic activity in the Al Dhafra Region by attracting thousands of visitors annually and serving as a platform that brings together farmers, experts, and pioneers in the agricultural industries—cementing the agricultural sector as a vital contributor to the national His Highness on the tour were Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, and several officials from the Liwa Date Festival features numerous competitions with total prizes exceeding AED 8.7 million. It includes a range of heritage activities that aim to preserve the legacy and status of the palm tree as a symbol of the past and a blessing of the present. It also strengthens family and community bonds, ensures intergenerational continuity, and promotes values of cooperation, belonging, and cultural heritage preservation—supporting the goals of the UAE's 'Year of the Community.' The festival also plays a vital role in supporting the local community and productive families in the region through the traditional market, which includes stalls for selling fresh dates, date products, palm-related items, factories, and nurseries. It also hosts pavilions of participating sponsors and supporters.
Al Etihad
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Liwa Date Festival 2025 branches out with new competitions, innovations and activations
8 July 2025 00:26 SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)The upcoming Liwa Date Festival is set to introduce new initiatives that will deepen the festival's environmental and cultural significance. In an interview with Aletihad, Zayed Sari Al Mazrouei, Head of the Events Department at the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority and a member of the organising committee, highlighted an innovation that will repurpose discarded parts of date palm trees.'This year's edition introduces a creative initiative that encourages the reuse of palm tree parts (palm trunk) to craft artworks that reflect sustainability values, merging both environmental awareness and artistic expression,' Al Mazrouei year, the festival will feature 24 heritage and agricultural competitions, divided into categories such as dates, fruits and model farms, with prizes exceeding Dh8.7 million on will also be daily cultural events and a market to support date 21st Liwa Date Festival will be held from July 14 to 27 in Liwa City, Al Dhafra Region, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the festival takes place during the UAE's date harvest season, celebrating the palm tree as a symbol of national identity while promoting sustainable farming, food security, as well as Abu Dhabi's push to modernise Mazrouei previewed some other highlights of the upcoming new addition is the 'Zamli' (a distinct variety of date) to the date auction competition rounds, which aim to broaden farmer participation by diversifying date varieties.'Fifteen prizes worth Dh397,000 have been allocated for this round,' Al Mazrouei the community aspect of the event, Al Mazrouei highlighted the festival's broader role in preserving Emirati heritage.'The most important programmes include a variety of heritage events, activities and exhibits that tell visitors stories from Emirati heritage through shops rich in handicrafts and traditional crafts,' he said.'There are also theatre performances, heritage competitions, workshops and performing arts panels designed to instil heritage knowledge in all segments of the community.'Touching on the festival's contribution to Abu Dhabi's sustainable agricultural goals, Al Mazrouei explained: 'The Liwa Date Festival embodies the UAE's and Abu Dhabi's interest in sustainable palm cultivation. This is in line with the vision of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He was the founder of the comprehensive agricultural renaissance that transformed the UAE into a green oasis, where the palm tree was a symbol of giving.' Indeed, this vision continues today, with the palm tree at the heart of national identity and food security efforts. 'The festival is also an important platform for supporting farmers to improve the quality of their production,' he brings together stakeholders from across palm-related industries, offering a space to exchange expertise and best and private agricultural entities use the festival to connect and promote sustainable farming women and the youth is another key goal of the event.'It includes women's craft workshops that introduce traditional palm-based industries, on-stage competitions, and a popular market that allows productive families to engage economically,' he festival will have dedicated spaces for children and school groups, where kids will be engaged through activities such as colouring heritage items and participating in interactive games designed to instil cultural knowledge.'The festival opens its doors daily to visitors of all ages and backgrounds from 4pm to 10pm,' Al Mazrouei new aspect of the festival is a competition in which palm tree remnants are transformed into creative artworks, blending sustainability goals with artistic innovation.'It revolves around recycling the palm trunk to produce artworks that achieves sustainable value,' said Al Mazrouei.'This is linked to the societal view of the palm tree, which sees value in all its parts.'Modern tools have helped the festival evolve and engage visitors.'The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority has always been keen to keep pace with modern developments that improve the visitor experience,' Al Mazrouei noted.'The festival app connects participants, farmers and visitors to the festival's events and news, and helps streamline registration. We've also released a detailed brochure to guide all attendees.'Despite its growth, the festival remains firmly rooted in its cultural heritage. 'The festival embodies the Emirati nature that looks to the future while preserving its essence and identity,' added Al Mazrouei.
