Sharjah: Cesar Ivan Sandoval G¡mez, Mayor of San Luis Ro Colorado, highlighted the significance of the 4th Mexico International Date Palm Festival and the growing cooperation between the UAE and the United Mexican States in the development of the palm and date sector. The festival serves as a key platform for producers, experts, and academic institutions to enhance knowledge exchange, innovation, and support initiatives aimed at improving production quality and expanding international partnerships.
According to Emirates News Agency, Lise Alschuler, President and CEO of Sonoran University of Health Sciences, stated that the festival is a result of collaboration among the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sonora State University, and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation of the Erth Zayed Philanthropies. This cooperation enabled the organization of a comprehensive event engaging the entire Mexican date industry, along with academics, students, researchers, the private sector, packaging companies, and the general public.
Alschuler emphasized that this collaboration has expanded the involvement of various stakeholders in the date palm sector and expressed appreciation for the support provided by the UAE Government, which has been instrumental in facilitating such festivals.
Abdelouahhab Alboukhari Zaid, Secretary-General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, acknowledged the success of the festival, attributing it to the efforts of all participants, including the Award's General Secretariat, international participants, researchers, students, companies, and palm producers in San Luis Ro Colorado and Mexicali, Baja California. He noted that Mexico ranks as the world's fourth-largest producer of Medjool dates, with 94 percent of its production focused on this variety. Mexican dates are internationally recognized and compete with top global producers, with an annual production of approximately 20,000 metric tonnes.