ID :
129453
Thu, 06/24/2010 - 13:21
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/129453
The shortlink copeid
Liwa Date Festival announces terms for participation in Mazayin Al Ratab competition
Abu Dhabi, June 24, 2010 (WAM)- The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is organising the sixth Liwa Ratab (Date) Festival in the city of Liwa in Al Gharbia (the Western Region) between July 17th - 26th.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the Festival includes various events that display the region's rich heritage. It also includes the important competition of Mazayin Al Ratab (half-ripe dates), which aims to encourage the improvement of the quality of UAE dates and make them more competitive locally and internationally, while preserving their naturally healthy properties.
Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of ADACH, said "The Festival is a great platform for the implementation of ADACH's strategy to preserve the heritage of Abu Dhabi. It particularly focuses on the protection of palm trees which have been inherent to the heritage of the UAE for as long as human memory serves." This heritage is a troth that we must protect and preserve so that it becomes an essential element of the UAE's daily life. It embodies the spirit of authenticity and heritage and develops this past heritage, transferring its characteristics to future generations, he added. This is in accordance with the saying of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan: “He who does not have a past, has neither a present nor a future".
The event aims to educate farmers on the ways of modern farming and methods of caring for palm trees in order to yield a useful economic output. It will encourage them to pay more attention to the quality of the production of dates, without the use of chemical additives.
The Festival serves as a forum in which farmers can exchange expertise between themselves on an annual basis, in order for the best and highest quality dates to be cultivated.
Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Director of the Festival, announced the Mazayin Al Ratab competition's terms and conditions. Which are, the ‘ratab' must be produced in the UAE; ripe dates are ruled out; participants must bring produce from their own farms (and show written proof of that, along with proof of their farm ownership when registering); participants must comply with deadlines when handing in samples and produce them according to the categories and dates previously specified. These specifications will be announced later. Participants are allowed to take part in two categories, in addition to the 'Nukhba' one.
Half of the total points available will be awarded to participants by the judging panel after an evaluation of their farms. The basis on which the points will be awarded will be: general hygiene of the farms; care for the palm-trees (both form and hygiene) and methods of irrigation. The remaining points will be awarded to the ‘ratab's' specifications.
Other specifications and conditions are as follows: the ‘ratab' must be of the 2010 season, 50% Ratab , in a suitable state of ripeness, but not more than one type for each category; no less than fifteen types in each of the various categories; must be free of infections or insects (or their eggs or waste); must be free of apparent defects; must not have an unusual smell or taste; must be free of metal or sand impurities (or burns and black spots); must be non-fertilised (they will be tested in labs); must be submitted in "Mukhrafa" and, finally, must be of 4-5 kg in weight in the initial category and 2-3 kg in the Nukhba category.
Contestants must accept all decisions made by the Organising Committee and the appointed judges.
The competition's ‘ratab' categories are: Khallas; Dabbas; Abu Maan; Fardh; Khanizi (new in the Liwa Festival 2010) and Nukhba.
The Festival will also feature a contest for the most beautiful piece of heritage work, made only with the use of natural materials. There will also be a number of other heritage pieces depicting the extent of perfection and harmony between the materials used, and it is specified that these must be reflective of the pattern of ancient life which they represent.
Not only was the Festival's 2009 edition a staggering success, but it was also a unique carnival celebrating the region's rich heritage and attracting tourism. The Festival pulled in crowds which comprised of date lovers, farmers, families and a variety of interested institutions.
The Fifth Liwa Date Festival 2009 contributed to Liwa's business boom. There was a notable increase in trade and tourism, as well as a high public turnout from both inside and outside the UAE. In addition to this there was a healthy media presence that monitored the activities of the Festival and the city for ten full days.
Liwa's economic boom had reached both the commercial and services sectors, to the extent that hotels in Al Gharbia found themselves fully booked. The entire population of the region has benefited from this economic activity and taken full advantage of the influx of thousands of visitors every day.
The Festival witnessed the participation of 1769 people (out of 2586 prior to the start of the event) from all over the UAE, who submitted 5715 ‘ratab' baskets in all categories of the competition (Khallas, Dabbas, Boumaan, Fardh, and Nukhba).
In order to achieve greater transparency and credibility, for both the participants and the public, the criteria for the judging panel has been modified. This modification has had a positive effect on the accuracy of the results, and this has been acknowledged by the participants.
In the previous year of the competition ninety citizens won valuable prizes in the dates and heritage categories. The material value of the awards reached Dh2.225 million. In addition to this fifteen cars were awarded to the top three winners of each of the date categories: Khallas; Dabbas; Boumaan; Fardh and Nukhba.
The Organising Committee has purchased 1594 date baskets directly from the farmers and residents of Liwa to demonstrate the support that they can expect to receive from the Festival. They also allocated several places for the exclusive sale of dates and this benefited 119 people. Date sales saw an increase in demand as thousands of people came to the Festival to enjoy various types of dates throughout its ten day run.
Last year, the number of visitors to the Festival reached more than sixty thousand, including many foreign tourists. – Emirates News Agency, WAM
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the Festival includes various events that display the region's rich heritage. It also includes the important competition of Mazayin Al Ratab (half-ripe dates), which aims to encourage the improvement of the quality of UAE dates and make them more competitive locally and internationally, while preserving their naturally healthy properties.
Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of ADACH, said "The Festival is a great platform for the implementation of ADACH's strategy to preserve the heritage of Abu Dhabi. It particularly focuses on the protection of palm trees which have been inherent to the heritage of the UAE for as long as human memory serves." This heritage is a troth that we must protect and preserve so that it becomes an essential element of the UAE's daily life. It embodies the spirit of authenticity and heritage and develops this past heritage, transferring its characteristics to future generations, he added. This is in accordance with the saying of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan: “He who does not have a past, has neither a present nor a future".
The event aims to educate farmers on the ways of modern farming and methods of caring for palm trees in order to yield a useful economic output. It will encourage them to pay more attention to the quality of the production of dates, without the use of chemical additives.
The Festival serves as a forum in which farmers can exchange expertise between themselves on an annual basis, in order for the best and highest quality dates to be cultivated.
Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Director of the Festival, announced the Mazayin Al Ratab competition's terms and conditions. Which are, the ‘ratab' must be produced in the UAE; ripe dates are ruled out; participants must bring produce from their own farms (and show written proof of that, along with proof of their farm ownership when registering); participants must comply with deadlines when handing in samples and produce them according to the categories and dates previously specified. These specifications will be announced later. Participants are allowed to take part in two categories, in addition to the 'Nukhba' one.
Half of the total points available will be awarded to participants by the judging panel after an evaluation of their farms. The basis on which the points will be awarded will be: general hygiene of the farms; care for the palm-trees (both form and hygiene) and methods of irrigation. The remaining points will be awarded to the ‘ratab's' specifications.
Other specifications and conditions are as follows: the ‘ratab' must be of the 2010 season, 50% Ratab , in a suitable state of ripeness, but not more than one type for each category; no less than fifteen types in each of the various categories; must be free of infections or insects (or their eggs or waste); must be free of apparent defects; must not have an unusual smell or taste; must be free of metal or sand impurities (or burns and black spots); must be non-fertilised (they will be tested in labs); must be submitted in "Mukhrafa" and, finally, must be of 4-5 kg in weight in the initial category and 2-3 kg in the Nukhba category.
Contestants must accept all decisions made by the Organising Committee and the appointed judges.
The competition's ‘ratab' categories are: Khallas; Dabbas; Abu Maan; Fardh; Khanizi (new in the Liwa Festival 2010) and Nukhba.
The Festival will also feature a contest for the most beautiful piece of heritage work, made only with the use of natural materials. There will also be a number of other heritage pieces depicting the extent of perfection and harmony between the materials used, and it is specified that these must be reflective of the pattern of ancient life which they represent.
Not only was the Festival's 2009 edition a staggering success, but it was also a unique carnival celebrating the region's rich heritage and attracting tourism. The Festival pulled in crowds which comprised of date lovers, farmers, families and a variety of interested institutions.
The Fifth Liwa Date Festival 2009 contributed to Liwa's business boom. There was a notable increase in trade and tourism, as well as a high public turnout from both inside and outside the UAE. In addition to this there was a healthy media presence that monitored the activities of the Festival and the city for ten full days.
Liwa's economic boom had reached both the commercial and services sectors, to the extent that hotels in Al Gharbia found themselves fully booked. The entire population of the region has benefited from this economic activity and taken full advantage of the influx of thousands of visitors every day.
The Festival witnessed the participation of 1769 people (out of 2586 prior to the start of the event) from all over the UAE, who submitted 5715 ‘ratab' baskets in all categories of the competition (Khallas, Dabbas, Boumaan, Fardh, and Nukhba).
In order to achieve greater transparency and credibility, for both the participants and the public, the criteria for the judging panel has been modified. This modification has had a positive effect on the accuracy of the results, and this has been acknowledged by the participants.
In the previous year of the competition ninety citizens won valuable prizes in the dates and heritage categories. The material value of the awards reached Dh2.225 million. In addition to this fifteen cars were awarded to the top three winners of each of the date categories: Khallas; Dabbas; Boumaan; Fardh and Nukhba.
The Organising Committee has purchased 1594 date baskets directly from the farmers and residents of Liwa to demonstrate the support that they can expect to receive from the Festival. They also allocated several places for the exclusive sale of dates and this benefited 119 people. Date sales saw an increase in demand as thousands of people came to the Festival to enjoy various types of dates throughout its ten day run.
Last year, the number of visitors to the Festival reached more than sixty thousand, including many foreign tourists. – Emirates News Agency, WAM
