Palm growers compete intensely at 9th Al Dhaid Date Festival

Intense contest in the Khalas category

The second day of the festival was focused on Khalas category, where participants showcased high-quality crops with similar weights. This made it especially difficult for the committee to select winners. A total of 83 competitors from different cities and regions across the UAE took part in this category.

Participants divided by region

To ensure fairness, the competition was divided into three regional segments: Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and other emirates. This structure allowed for balanced evaluation among participants from various parts of the country.

Significant growth in participation and crop quality

Al Ketbi highlighted that the 9th edition saw major improvements both in the number of participants and in the quality of date crops. The average size of a Khalas date reached 25 grams, reflecting a growing interest among farmers in enhancing the quality of their produce and maintaining high standards in palm cultivation.

Upcoming competition categories

According to Al Ketbi, Saturday was allocated for the Shishi category competitions. Meanwhile, today features the Elite competitions. The Elite Al Dhaid Competition is open to all participants and requires five date baskets, each weighing 3 kg. The Special Al Dhaid Competition is limited to farmers from the Northern Emirates and involves four date baskets of the same weight.