Under the patronage of Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahayan
Nahayan Mabarak honours winners of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (2019)
Mansour bin Zayed Given a Gold shield as “the First Supporter of Date Palm”
The blessed tree is a symbol of tolerance and coexistence among peoples and civilizations
Graziano: UAE has a strong will that contributed to the development of the date sector in the world
Abu Dhabi, March 10, 2019
Under the patronage of H.H Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, H.H Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Chairman of Board of Trustees of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, honoured, yesterday morning, March 10, 2019, at Emirates Palace, in the capital city, Abu Dhabi, the individuals and institutions that won in the eleventh edition of the award.
The ceremony started with the national anthem, then His Highness and the attendees watched a documentary on the award that highlighted its efforts in supporting and developing the date palm sector and the local, Arab, and international achievements fulfilled throughout eleven years.
Furthermore, H.H. Sheikh Nahayan watched, with the accompanying ministers and the diplomatic corp members within UAE, “A Date Dream” operate
that highlights the journey of development and evolution witnessed by UAE in the agricultural sector that was led by the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan “may he rest in peace”, the founder of the agricultural advancement, who focused on date palms as a key pillar for the sustainable development and food security, and as part of the Emirati identity. In the one hand, His Highness also praised the leading position of UAE in supporting and developing the date palm sector around the world. The operetta, one the other hand, pointed to the importance of tolerance and the symbolic importance represented by the date palm regarding coexistence and communication among peoples and civilizations.
We are proud of, and cherish, the achievements of the award
After that, H.H Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Chairman of Board of Trustees of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, delivered a speech in which it referred to the achievements of the award, within a decade, that exceeded all expectations and contributed to reinforcing the leading position of UAE in developing and ameliorating the date palm tree and agricultural innovation sector all around the world. In the Year of Zayed, 2018, in particular, the award undertook twelve distinguished local, Arab, and international initiatives. Moreover, the Arab date festivals are the most significant demonstration on such achievements and a landmark we are proud of and cherish as a commemoration, and return the favour, of the founder of the agricultural development in UAE. This year of 2019, the year of tolerance, the award will celebrate a symbol of tolerance and coexistence among peoples and civilizations, as tolerance drives nations towards peace, development, growth, and believing in the future.
H.H. Sheikh Nahayan praised the outcomes of the Conference of Agricultural Ministers of the Date Producing and Processing Countries organized by the Award in cooperation with Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), such as developing a framework strategy to eradicate the red palm weevil. Such conference witnessed the participation of Twelve agriculture ministers and more than Six international organizations specialized in palm planting and date production. The assembly resulted in establishing a fund to apply a strategy to combat the red palm weevil that have been posing a cross-border danger that threatens the future of palm tree planting and date production all over the world and has become a main concern for the specialized international organizations.
International Award of UAE’s efforts
Dr. José Graziano da Silva, Director General of FAO, praised the efforts of the United Arab Emirates in supporting and developing the agricultural sector at an international level, in particular the date palm planting and date production, thanks to its developed infrastructure and institutions, international expertise, and strong will that contributed to promote the date palm tree sector, especially through the date festivals at the Arab world.
He also praised the remarkable success of the conference that aimed at creating an international trust fund to combat the red palm weevil within a strategy in which the member states take part.
Honouring winners of the international award
After that, H.H Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Chairman of Board of Trustees of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, along with H.E. Dr. José Graziano da Silva, Director General of FAO, handed out the different categories of the award to the winners. For the category of distinguished innovative studies and modern technology, the award was jointly given to Dr. Mark Alfred Tester, from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in KSA, and Dr. Huda Badri Mohamed Ali, from the Federal Republic of Germany. The award was also jointly given to Desert Fruit Company, from Republic of Namibia, and SAHAM AGRI Company, from the Kingdom of Morocco. Moreover, Groasis Company, from The Netherlands, received the award for the category of pioneering and sophisticated innovations serving the agricultural sector. And for the category of influential figure in the field of date palm and agricultural innovation, the award was jointly given to Dr. Julian Schroeder, from USA, and Dr. Abdel Baset Oda Ibrahim, from the Republic of Iraq.
