Siwa (WAM)
Yesterday, the city of Siwa witnessed the official opening of the Fifth International Festival of Egyptian Dates, which is held under the directives and support of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The festival, which is organized under the patronage of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, was attended by Ahmed Reda, representing the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry and Matrouh Governorate. Al-Saadi, representative of the State Embassy in Cairo, Dr. Abdel Wahab Zayed, Secretary General of the Award, a number of members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of regional and international organizations and date palm growers.
In a speech delivered on her behalf by Ahmed Reda, Assistant Minister of Industrial Affairs, the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry emphasized the strong brotherly relations between the UAE and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and praised the efforts of the General Secretariat of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation in organizing this festival in its fifth session. She thanked the wise leadership in the UAE and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation for supporting this event, which is an extension of the bonds of constructive cooperation between the UAE and the Arab Republic of Egypt in all development fields.
She explained that dates in Egypt are considered a strategic crop, as it ranks first in the world in terms of production with 18% of global production of dates, and first at the Arab level with about 23% of Arab production of dates, noting that the statistics confirm the existence of a continuous increase in The number of total and fruitful date palms in all the governorates of Egypt that produce dates, and stressed that Egypt pays great attention to the dates sector, as it is one of the promising sectors to increase exports, achieve economic and societal development, and create new job opportunities.
She emphasized that the Egyptian date sector includes about 150 industrial facilities spread in various production areas in the New Valley, Bahariya Oasis, Siwa, Aswan, Luxor, Badrashin, Fayoum, Borg El Arab, Amreya, Delta, Damietta and Sharqia. Official figures issued by the Export Council for Food Industries indicate the steady growth of Egyptian date exports, as the Arab Republic of Egypt is the world’s largest producer of dates, with quantities amounting to 1.7 million tons, representing approximately 18% of the world’s production of dates.
For his part, His Excellency Major General Khaled Shuaib, Governor of Matrouh, confirmed the success of the Siwa International Dates Festival and the continuation of its organization to reach its fifth edition, evidence of the strong cooperation between the two brotherly countries for a better future for the development of this large industry and maximizing the return from it.
He said: “This success is in line with Egypt’s plan to upgrade the dates sector with the implementation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s initiative to plant 2.5 million palm trees, which was launched in 2018 as a call to revive the production of Egyptian dates on an area of about 40,000 feddans… Siwa Oasis represents a large part of it. It is rich in riches, most notably the wealth of palm trees, with about 80,000 palm trees of various types on an area of more than 9 thousand acres deep in the Western Desert of Egypt.”
The Governor of Matrouh considered that the Fifth International Festival of Egyptian Dates in Siwa in 2022 is an impetus forward to support date farmers and create more new job opportunities.
For his part, Dr. Abdel Wahab Zayed, Secretary-General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, stressed the strength of brotherly relations between the UAE and the Arab Republic of Egypt, noting that the Egyptian Dates Festival is a national event held for the fifth year in a row at the level of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
He praised the great cooperation of the ministries and governmental and private institutions in the Arab Republic of Egypt, which expressed their willingness to cooperate and provide the necessary support for the success of this festival in cooperation with the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Cairo and providing all facilities to ensure the success of the festival and achieve its goals.
Motivating researchers, farmers and exporters
Counselor Saleh Al-Saadi, Head of Media Affairs and Public Diplomacy at the State Embassy in Cairo, confirmed that the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation aims to motivate researchers, farmers and exporters concerned with date palm cultivation and agricultural innovation, as well as supporting research related to the development of various aspects of the date industry, and the dissemination of date palm culture. At the local, regional and international levels, supporting and encouraging innovations related to the date industry sector, with a focus on multiplication and production techniques, disease and pest control, and the obstacles facing the manufacture and marketing of dates. He explained that 2021 was a year full of projects and qualitative achievements in the award’s march, despite the difficult circumstances the world went through as a result of the Corona (Covid-19) pandemic, noting that the award worked to redouble efforts to develop its programs in line with the enormous changes and trends that the world witnessed, which is What required a major change in the way of thinking and implementation tools to meet the challenges, to advance this sector and move it forward to achieve sustainable development, thanks to the wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and the support of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
commercial exchange
Lotfi Raouf, the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in Cairo, stated that the volume of trade exchange between his country and Egypt recorded a positive growth despite the epidemic, reaching 3.2% in 2020, while the volume of trade exchange increased by 53.52% to reach “1.63 billion US dollars” in the period from January to November 2021 compared to the period The same from 2020, which recorded 1.06 billion US dollars. Dates are among the main Egyptian exports to Indonesia, along with phosphates, molasses, citrus fruits and potatoes. According to data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics in Indonesia, exports of Egyptian date products amounted to 10.34 million US dollars, totaling 112.548 metric tons, with a market share of 17.89% of the total Egyptian exports of dates to the world.
operetta
The official opening ceremony of the Fifth International Festival of Egyptian Dates witnessed an operetta that focused on the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the first supporter of palm cultivation and date production at the national and Arab levels, and how the ship of goodness and giving was launched from the United Arab Emirates to the sister Arab countries. Prizes were distributed to the winners of the Egyptian Dates Competition in its fourth session in ten main categories, in which 185 contestants participated, including 145 contestants from Siwa Oasis and 40 contestants from the rest of the governorates of Egypt. With a commemorative plaque and a certificate of appreciation. During the ceremony, influential figures in the date palm sector in Egypt were honored.
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