The festival, which brought together date growers, producers and exporters, saw the participation of 120 farmers and exhibitors representing Egypt and other date-producing countries — the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, Mexico and Pakistan. The Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) also took part.
Egypt ranks first globally in date production, accounting for more than 19 per cent of world output and 24 per cent of Arab production. Bahariya Oasis stands out as a leading producer of semi-dry date varieties with high international demand, supported by dozens of packaging and processing factories. It has more than 150 industrial facilities engaged in date manufacturing and packaging.
The festival enjoys strong support from the Egyptian leadership, Sherif Al-Rashidi, head of the Industrial Affairs Sector at the Ministry of Industry, said at the inauguration of the festival, speaking on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel Al-Wazir.
Developing dates production aligns with Egypt’s industrial development strategy aimed at increasing the sector’s contribution to GDP and boosting export revenues. Al-Rashidi highlighted presidential directives to carry out large-scale strategic projects in the palm cultivation sector, most notably the establishment of the world’s largest palm plantation in Toshka and East Owainat, comprising 2.3 million palm trees.
The minister extended appreciation to the UAE’s Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation for its pivotal role in supporting the organisation of the event which was first launched in Siwa in 2015.
Joint initiatives with the Khalifa Award include the establishment of cold storage facilities in Bahariya Oasis with a capacity of 4,000 tons, the rehabilitation of the Siwa government date factory and the New Valley date complex, and support for Egyptian producers to participate in international exhibitions. Additionally, the UAE institution collaborated with FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture to prepare a comprehensive national strategy for developing Egypt’s date sector and collaborated with the Egyptian Export Council to launch a climate-based agricultural map for palm varieties.
The festival saw the distribution of awards recognising excellence in palm cultivation, research, packaging, product innovation, and value-added date products.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 November, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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