Ammon News - In cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordan Dates Association,
under the supervision of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation.
* H.E. Eng. Khaled Al Hnaifat:
• The Kingdom's exports of Jordanian dates amounted to 65 million Dinars
• The Jordanian Dates Festival is an Emirati-Jordanian success story that we are proud of.
* Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid:
• Jordanian dates are a milestone in the date palm cultivation and production sector.
• The festival is a living embodiment of the common will of the two countries to develop this sector.
* Eng. Anwar Haddad:
• Jordan's production of dates reached 35,000 tons, to 51 countries around the world.
• The festival contributed to increasing demand for Jordanian dates in international markets.
Under the generous patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, “May God protect him,” King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, H.E. Eng. Khaled Al Hnaifat, the representative of the Festival’s sponsor, the Jordanian Minister of Agriculture, and in the presence of H.E. Mr. Hamad Abdullah Al Matrooshi, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Amman, and Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, witnessed the opening of the Sixth Jordan International Date Palm Festival, organized by the Award’s General Secretariat in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordan Dates Association. The opening ceremony was also attended by a number of representatives of international organizations, members of the diplomatic corps residing in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and a large number of researchers, farm owners, date producers, and companies in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Speech of His Excellency the Minister
In his speech during the opening ceremony, His Excellency the Minister stressed that this festival came to confirm the depth of the strong relation between the two countries, the United Arab Emirates and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. His Excellency also thanked H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, for his continuous support to the festival, as the festival was implemented based on the cooperation protocol signed in the capital, Amman, on the 26th of February 2024, between the Ministry of Agriculture in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the General Secretariat of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, and the Jordan Dates Association, in cooperation with regional and international organizations.
His Excellency added that date palm cultivation in Jordan is one of the crops that have ancient historical roots and extensions, and there are many historical evidences. The Jordanian city of Aqaba was known for date palm cultivation three thousand years before Christ. The date palm sector has also witnessed interest from the private sector due to the geographical advantage, especially for the Mejhoul variety, as the volume of investments in the sector amounted to nearly half a billion dollars and contributes to the employment of about 5-8 thousand job opportunities, of which about 40% are women.
His Excellency the Minister pointed out that the generous patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, “May God protect him”, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for the festival is clear evidence of the festival’s continued success year after year. His Excellency stressed that 20% of the agricultural areas in the Jordan Valley are planted with date palm trees, where Jordan exports a high percentage of its production annually with the highest quality standards to various global markets, as exports amount to more than 65% of date production abroad. The volume of our date exports amount to about 65 million Dinars, which achieves an economic lever for agriculture in Jordan and forms employment opportunity to workforce.
Award’s Speech
From his side Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, stressed during the opening speech that we are proud of the success achieved by the Jordan International Date Palm Festival, as it is the fruit of the existing cooperation between the two brotherly countries. It also came to confirm the depth of the historical bilateral relations between the two countries, under the leadership of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and his brother His Majesty King Abdullah II, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, “May God protect them”.
The organization of this festival also reflects the depth of fraternal ties and close cooperation between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as it is a vivid embodiment of the common will of the two countries to support the agricultural sector and development of the date palm cultivation and production in the Arab world.
Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, pointed out that the Jordanian dates have become a landmark in the date palm cultivation and production sector, and are considered a supportive element for the Jordanian national economy, and are widely appreciated in local, regional and international markets. This festival comes as an important platform to enhance the exchange of knowledge and expertise between farmers, producers and experts participating in the festival, representing most of the date-producing countries, to highlight the progress achieved in this field.
This festival also came to reaffirm the international status of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation and its constructive role in developing the date palm cultivation and production sector at the national, regional and international levels, after the Award achieved tangible success by organizing the series of date festivals, which reached 53 festivals in 08 countries: United Arab Emirates, Arab Republic of Egypt, Republic of Sudan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Kingdom of Morocco, United States of Mexico, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This is thanks to the care and support it receives from the wise leadership of the United Arab Emirates.
Speech of the Association
Eng. Anwar Haddad, Chairman of the Jordan Dates Association, in his speech during the opening ceremony thanked the United Arab Emirates, represented by Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, and the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture for their efforts in organizing the festival at this high level pointing out the success achieved by the festival over six years, as the date palm cultivation and production sector in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan recorded a steady expansion in areas reaching 45,000 dunums in the Jordan Valley. Jordanian dates also recorded an increase in production reaching 35,000 tons, and the demand for Jordanian dates in international markets increased by 125% over previous years, as Jordan exported its luxurious dates to more than 51 countries around the world, while the value of Jordan’s date production exceeded 60 million Dollars, as Jordan ranked 11th in terms of the quantity of exports and 09th in terms of the value of these exports.
Eng. Anwar Haddad, also thanked His Majesty King Abdullah II for his interest, care and continuous support for the date palm cultivation and production sector in the Kingdom, in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of His Majesty King Abdullah II’s accession to the throne, as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is experiencing the Silver Jubilee celebrations, as an important national occasion to shed light on the achievements made by Jordanian date palm farmers under the leadership of His Majesty the King, “May God protect him.”
Achievements of the Award over Seventeen Years
A documentary film was screened about the achievements of the Award over seventeen years (2007-2024) and the relationship between the objectives of the Award and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and how the Award contributed to supporting these goals to enhance food security and achieve sustainable development, at the national, regional and international levels.
Honoring the winners of the Sixth session of the Jordanian Dates Competition:
His Excellency Eng. Khaled Al-Hanifat, the representative of the festival’s sponsor, His Majesty King Abdullah II, "May God protect him", Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abddelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, and Eng. Anwar Haddad, Chairman of the Jordan Dates Association, honored the winners of the Jordanian Dates Competition in its sixth session 2024. The results were as follows:
1- Best Production Category for the Mejhoul Variety in Jordan, won by:
Mr. Alaa Eldin AlKhatib (Al Dana Dates)
2- Best Production Category for the Jordanian Barhi (Date) Variety, won by:
Sara Farms – Mr. Hamdi Sara, and Um Qais Agricultural Company
Mr. Hamza Hassan Al Aqtash.
3- Best Dates Sorting Workshop Category for Jordanian Dates, won by:
Mahmoud and Bassam Abu Jaber Company (date packing house)
4- Best Food Product Made from Jordanian Dates Category, won by:
Iwan Tourism Association
5- Best Packaging for Jordanian Dates Category, won by:
Saaf Organization – Dr. Nehaya Abdul Rahman Ahmed
6- Best Applied Scientific Research Category on Date Palm in Jordan, won by:
Eng. Saja Shaher Hamad Hamaidah – The Hashemite University.
7- Best Innovation in the Palm and Dates Field in Jordan Category, won by:
Mr. Tayseer Ahmed Falah Anbosi.
Honoring influential figures
His Excellency the representative of the festival’s sponsor, the Minister of Agriculture, honored the influential figures in the date palm sector in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where the following names were honored:
1. Mr. Rakan AlFaour, Date Palm Farmer.
2. Eng. Hisham AlHaisa, Secretary General of the Jordan Valley Authority.
3. Al Haq Association and Farms.
Royal Honor
On the 25th anniversary of His Majesty King Abdullah II's accession to the throne, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan considers the Silver Jubilee an important national occasion to highlight the achievements built by Jordanians under the leadership of His Majesty the King, how Jordan faced fateful challenges with wisdom and strength, and how His Majesty led the process of modernizing the Jordanian state and moving it into the twenty-first century.
To celebrate this occasion, the Royal Court has decided to honor the Jordan Dates Association for his efforts in date palm cultivation and date production across the Kingdom.
After that, His Excellency Eng. Khaled Al Hnaifat, the representative of the festival’s sponsor, His Excellency Mr. Hamad Abdullah Al Matroushi, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Amman, and Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, headed to open the exhibition accompanying the festival, amidst a large presence of date producers and manufacturers from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and date-producing countries participating in the festival. With the participation of 000 exhibitors representing 000 date-producing countries (United Arab Emirates, Arab Republic of Egypt, State of Palestine, Republic of Sudan, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, United Mexican States, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan).
The Scientific Symposium of the Festival
The Sixth International Jordan Date Palm Festival is also accompanied by a scientific symposium with the participation of 22 experts and academic researchers specialized in date palm cultivation and production from various governmental institutions and research centers from a number of date-producing countries, within three scientific sessions and an expanded discussion session representing 10 date-producing countries. The Award’s Secretary General stressed on the importance of the scientific research in developing the date palm production sector, praising the scientific efforts made by all relevant parties to develop this sector in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in cooperation between the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture, the Jordan Dates Association, the Award’s General Secretariat, and concerned regional and international organizations. He also added that it has become clear to all that the development of the date palm cultivation and production sector occupies a special priority on the map of comprehensive agricultural development in a number of date-producing countries, especially in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, due to the increasing economic importance of this sector in enhancing food security and achieving sustainable development.
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