Fierce competitions among Palm Owners and Farmers in ‘Al Dhaid Dates Festival’ Competitions

Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is continuing its seventh edition of competitions at Al Dhaid Expo Centre through July 30. On the festival’s second day, a fierce competition took place among hundreds of palm tree owners and farmers in the two competitions of Al Ratab Beauty and Best Lemons.

The participants displayed the best dates and fruits from local production of the Emirate of Sharjah, in particular, and the whole country in general.

The first day witnessed a number of winners participating in Al Ratab Khanzi Beauty, and Largest Dates Branch (40 kilograms and above for Khasab Dates, 50 kilograms for other varieties). The competition attracted lots of participants, who competed to deliver the best products of their farms to offer and demonstrated a deep interest in the competition’s conditions.

The Festival’s General Coordinator, Mohammad Musabah Al Tunaiji, acknowledged that the event has witnessed a variety of participations in competitions over the course of its history, which reflected the farmers’ enthusiasm and dedication to expanding their farms and products, and enabled and encouraged them to invest in this area to increase and improve their production. Al Tunaiji expressed his expectations that the festival would witness more participation and competition among palm owners and farmers, given the importance of the event in providing them with the opportunity to display and market their products.

In addition, he said the festival will help exchanging experiences and learning about the best practices adopted to enhance the quality of dates and date production.

Rashid Mohair Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Sorting and Evaluation Committee, said that the intense competition confirms the event’s innovative position as a prestigious annual platform that palm owners, farmers, industrialists, and traders are eager to participate in; thanks to the significant contribution it makes to raising the quality of the local product.

Al Ketbi called on farmers and palm owners to participate in the competitions taking place at the event, as Al Shishi Dates Red Fig and the Most Beautiful Basket competitions are scheduled for the third day, while the last day witnesses the General Elite and Al Dhaid Fort Elite Competitions.

The festival, which continues to welcome visitors every day from 8 am until 10 pm, features a number of competitions for which awards totaling more than one million dirhams have been allocated. These awards will be given to the competition winners in the main categories such as Al Ratab Beauty, Largest Dates Branch, Best Lemons, Fig Contest, Al Heseel Date Contest, and Most Beautiful Dates Basket (only for women). Each category offers rewards of between AED 1,000 and AED25,000.