Celebrating date palm heritage and local agriculture

During the visit, His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed toured the festival’s main activities and competitions, which celebrate local agricultural production and highlight the enduring importance of the date palm in Emirati heritage and national identity.

He visited various date and fruit competitions and was briefed on the judging procedures and evaluation criteria for participating entries. The competitions witnessed wide participation, reflecting farmers’ efforts to improve production quality and preserve local date palm varieties.

Exploring festival activities and heritage displays

The tour also included visits to exhibitor pavilions, the heritage market, rutab market, traditional crafts section, and productive families section, in addition to a number of traditional performances.

Supporting farmers and preserving national heritage

Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasised the importance of agricultural and heritage festivals in protecting the traditions, knowledge and practices linked to the date palm and ensuring their transmission to future generations.

He also highlighted the role of such festivals in supporting farmers, enhancing agricultural production, and strengthening the sustainability of the sector, in line with the leadership’s commitment to preserving national heritage and promoting the values of work and productivity.

Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan was accompanied during the visit by Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority; Abdullah Mubarak Al Muhairi, Acting Director-General of Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority; Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events Sector at Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority; and several senior officials.