UAE allocates AED8 million to support, develop date palm industry in Egypt

Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative at the Arab League, has announced the planning of the 3rd Egyptian Date Palm Festival, which will be held in Siwa, Marsa Matrouh Governorate, from 8th to 10th November.

The festival will come under the patronage of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt, and the supervision of the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, after the success of its first and second cycles.

The announcement came during the launching ceremony of several development projects, valued at AED8 million, to develop the date palm industry in several Egyptian governorates.

The ceremony, which was hosted today by the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, was also attended by Tarek Kabil, Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry; Abdel Moneim Al Banna, Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; Dr. Abdul Wahab Zayed, Secretary-General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation; and a number of Egyptian officials.

Ambassador Al Junaibi explained that the first and second cycles of the Egyptian Date Palm Festival have strengthened the ties of co-operation between the UAE and Egypt and provided an example of their strong and exceptional bilateral relations, whose foundations were established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and were continued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and President el-Sisi.

Both countries have worked together for many years to develop the Egyptian palm industry, increase the agricultural production of Egyptian dates, and find solutions to the problems faced by Egyptian farmer, as well as to improve the quality and packaging of local produce and create successful marketing campaigns, which will increase the economic value of Egyptian dates, he added.

Al Junaibi thanked H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, for his directives and support to rebuild and modernise the New Valley Government Date Complex in the New Valley Governorate, and to install refrigerated storage units for dates in Giza Governorate, as well as to recruit experts who can offer technical support and consultations and can transfer their technological knowledge to the Egyptian date industry, in co-operation with the Industrial Council for Technology and Innovation under the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Egypt, and in co-ordination with the UAE Embassy in Cairo.

Dr. Zayed stated that Emirati support for the Egyptian date industry will include the recruitment of several international experts to work in the Food and Agro Industries Technology Centre, FAITC, under the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He also noted the development of the New Valley Government Date Complex and the installation of refrigerated storage units while stressing the importance of the noble efforts of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to develop the Egyptian date palm industry in terms of agriculture, industry and trade, and to help it compete in international markets.