Under the patronage of King Abdullah II, the 6th International Festival of Jordanian Dates has opened in Amman. The event underlined the importance of Jordanian dates and the close relationships between Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Khaled Al-Hanifat, Jordan’s Minister of Agriculture, representing the patron of the festival felt that it is very important to use such events. As a way to reinforce the cooperation between the two countries. He also thanked Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, for his continuous support.
The General Secretariat of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm is organizing the festival. Additionally, the event aims to promote Jordan’s date palm industry. And Agricultural Innovation in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordan Dates Association. And it follows the signing of a protocol on February 26, 2024, which introduces the date palm industry in Jordan.
Al-Hanifat pointed out that, in Jordan, date palm cultivation has deep roots in history. As its importance has been recorded as early as 3,000 BCE in the city of Aqaba. He further underscored that such a sector has received much attention from the private sector to cultivate particularly the Medjool variety. “The investment in the industry has reached around half a billion dollars. Making it one in which around 10,000 people work; 40% of those jobs are held by women.”
Guests of honor attending the opening ceremony included Hamad Abdullah Al Matrooshi, Charge d’Affaires of the UAE Embassy in Amman; Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation; representatives from international organizations and various diplomatic missions; and a delegation from the local farming community and date producers.
He told the audience that this festival represents the fruits of continued cooperation between Jordan and the UAE. And added: “We are so proud to see this excellent gesture between the two countries. With its solid leadership under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and King Abdullah II.”
Eng. Anwar Haddad, Chairman of the Jordan Dates Association, said that he was grateful to both the UAE and Jordan for the successful partnership regarding holding the festival. He also spoke about the growth in the date palm industry, now covering 45,000 dunums in the Jordan Valley.
During the ceremony, there was a display of a documentary about the success story of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation. It demonstrated how the Award supports food security and sustainable development to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
At the end, there was also an announcement for the winners of the 6th International Festival of Jordanian Dates.
ANI
