The
international date festival to be held in Aswan aims to encourage the date
production and processing sectors in Egypt.
Cairo-
Dec 20, 2021
Minister
of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea has witnessed the signing of a cooperation
protocol between the ministry and the UAE’s Khalifa International Award for
Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation on the organization of Egypt International Date
Palm Festival in Aswan in 2022, under the sponsorship of President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with the participation of a large number of date producers.
The
agreement was signed by Ibrahim al-Seguini, assistant minister of trade and industry
for economic affairs, and Dr. Abdel Wahab Zayed, secretary-general of the
Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation.
“The
protocol comes within the continuous, fruitful cooperation between the ministry
and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation,”
Gamea said, referring to the success of the previous four editions of Egypt International Date
Palm Festivals in Siwa Oasis, as well as the
Marketing Forum For Egyptian Dates in the New Valley and the Bahariya Oasis Date
Festival.
She
explained that the international date festival to be held in Aswan aims to encourage
the date production and processing sectors in Egypt, through displaying the
best varieties of dates including rare ones, packaging equipment, palm
cultivation techniques and services, in addition to exchanging experiences between
farmers, producers and processors of dates inside and outside Egypt, as well as
stimulating innovation through festival competitions.
The
ministry, she added, is adopting a comprehensive strategy to advance this
promising sector, in cooperation with all parties concerned, to support the
value chain and improve the quality and competitiveness of Egyptian dates,
pointing out that Egypt is the world’s top date producer with 18% of global
production, and the first in the Arab world with 24%.
Zayed,
for his part, stressed that the award aims to motivate people engaged in the agricultural
and date palm sector, including researchers, farmers and exporters; and to
support research related to the development of various aspects of the industry.