Ammon News - Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Hneifat, on Wednesday announced the launch of 3rd International Festival of Jordanian Dates on October 21.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Ministry of Agriculture, in the presence of UAE Ambassador to Jordan, Ahmed Al Balushi, Hneifat said the festival is held with Emirati support, in cooperation with Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (KIADPAI) and Jordan Dates Association (JDA).

The event affirms the "deep-rooted, brotherly and historic" Jordan-UAE relations, Hneifat said, adding that the festival is also held, as the Jordanian date cultivation and production sector in the Jordan Valley regions, is witnessing "a tangible" development.

The Kingdom's production of the high-quality Medjool dates nearly stands at 14 percent of the global production volume, he said.

Noting the Jordanian date sector's "rapid" developments, he said its exports have reached various countries worldwide, adding that the festival, which is organized annually, has become a forum for exchanging skills and an outlet for promoting Jordanian dates.

The UAE envoy, for his part, stressed the "deep-rooted, historic" bilateral relations, supported by the two countries' leaderships to develop Jordan's dates sector.