Al dhaid: The 9th edition of the Al Dhaid Date Festival, held at Expo Al Dhaid, saw record participation from prominent date producers and palm farmers from across the UAE. Organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), the event underscored its status as a leading platform for agricultural innovation and sustainability.
According to Emirates News Agency, this year's festival hosted more than 15 agricultural companies showcasing the latest sustainable farming technologies. These technologies reflect the sector's focus on innovation and the adoption of advanced solutions to enhance farm performance and improve yield quality. Participants shared success stories that combined traditional farming practices with smart and forward-thinking agricultural initiatives.
Jamal Saeed Bouzanjal, Director of Corporate Communication Department at SCCI and Head of the Al Dhaid Date Festival's Media Committee, emphasized the festival's role as a commercial and marketing platform for technology transfer among farmers. The event highlighted solutions in organic and sustainable farming, modern agricultural mechanization, and AI-driven farming processes, providing farmers with the opportunity to learn best practices to improve output quality and operational efficiency.
Among the participants, Al-Washah Dates Farm, led by Rashid Ahmed Al-Tunaiji, showcased premium local date varieties like Khalas, Barhi, and Lulu, produced under high-quality standards. This display highlighted the farm's dedication to blending traditional agricultural heritage with advanced organic cultivation practices.
Al-Fahd Dates Farm demonstrated a strategic investment in downstream industries with its display of premium date varieties and value-added products such as pure date syrup, high-quality date paste, and gourmet stuffed dates. These products were developed and packaged using advanced methods to meet the expectations of both domestic and global markets.
Young farmer Sultan Ali Al-Khuzaymi from the Emirate of Fujairah presented his success story, reflecting the UAE's efforts to empower youth in agriculture. His participation, rooted in a deep family tradition, showcased a product line featuring premium quality heritage and enhanced date varieties, alongside organically cultivated Turkish figs.
Participating farmers praised the consistent support from the Sharjah Chamber, acknowledging its role in sustaining the festival's success and enhancing its impact on the agricultural community.