Top 15 winners of the Liwa Dates Festival, which will continue till July 18, announced,
The 6,000kg of Dabbas dates submitted for the first round of competition during the Liwa Dates Festival were carefully inspected and the top 15 winners were announced on Sunday night.
Walking away with Dh125,000, the top winner was Hamed Jaber Al Murr, followed by Filham Al Mazrouei, who cashed Dh100,000. In the third place came Fatima Mohammed Al Morrar winning Dh75,000.
Date branches weighing as much as 100kg were brought to the festival.
Fatima also got a cheque for Dh50,000, as she won the competition for the biggest palm branch of dates, weighing exactly 100kg. With just under 90kg for a branch, Suhail al Morrar came second, winning Dh45,000, and Moussifa Al Morrar came third with a branch that was just above 80kg, winning Dh30,000.
All winners came from Liwa oasis, a region known to produce the best Dabbas dates. A small fruit of medium sweetness, Dabbas variety of dates is largely used as animal feed.
Many farmers in Liwa claim the major dates companies that buy the fruit from them no longer offer them a price they consider fair, and they prefer to use the dates to feed their camels.
Al Khuneizi and Bou Maan, two other popular varieties of dates, were on scrutiny on Sunday, with the results being expected late last night.
For the 11 categories of dates beauty competition, the judges not only inspect the quality of dates, but also the farms where they come from. Early morning, the panel travels to all farms across the UAE that have entered the day’s competition, to make sure they exist and match the quality of the fruit entered in the festival.
Once the field visit is over, the judges return to the festival grounds, in Mazeira town (Liwa), to inspect the dates. The top 15 winners of each competition round are announced 24 hours after the farmers submit their dates baskets.
The festival which began on July 12 will be on until July 18. The opening hours are after from 8pm till 1am.
According to Obaid Al Mazrouei, director of the festival, July is the season for ratab, the fresh half-ripen dates in the UAE, and hence the dates cannot be postponed.
“The ongoing scientific and research successes that have been achieved by the UAE in the field of palm tree cultivation come in parallel with the efforts of heritage conservation,” he said.
Now in its 10th year, Liwa Dates Festival promotes farming and agriculture as much as it does Emirati culture and traditions.
Throughout the festival, an old style Emirati souq is set up in the main tent, selling mostly handicrafts items created by Emirati women. There is also an exhibition of heritage related handicrafts that will award the best made objects.
Altogether, there are 220 cash awards given at Liwa Dates Festival this year, totalling Dh6 million. -silvia@khaleejtimes.com