Zayed City:The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) is participating in the fifth Al Dhafra Dates Festival and Auction, held from October 16th to 25th in Zayed City, Al Dhafra Region. The event aims to showcase ADAFSA's initiatives to advance sustainable agriculture and bolster food security.
According to Emirates News Agency, the festival, organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, gathers farmers, livestock breeders, beekeepers, and agricultural producers. It serves as a platform to present date palms, dates, and national agricultural products, encouraging quality improvements and expertise exchange in date palm cultivation.
The festival features 22 competitions with 180 prizes, including contests for dates, honey, cooking, date packaging, drawing, and photography, along with daily dates auctions and cultural activities. ADAFSA is unveiling its new corporate identity and the Agricultural Transformation Strategy for Abu Dhabi, which focuses on building a productive and sustainable agricultural sector through innovation and resource management.
The strategy sets goals such as increasing self-sufficiency in staple food commodities from 30% to 70% by 2040 and raising the agricultural sector's GDP contribution to AED34.6 billion. It also aims to reduce irrigation water consumption by 49% and enhance the use of advanced agricultural technologies on farms to 70%.
Central to the strategy is the date palm sector, targeted for restructuring through the replacement of low-productivity trees with high-quality varieties. This is expected to improve production efficiency and economic viability, with plans to plant 400,000 high-quality palm trees.
ADAFSA is also promoting the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award to encourage sustainable practices among farmers and beekeepers. The Abu Dhabi Honey Programme, with 17 initiatives to enhance honey quality and support beekeepers, is also being showcased.
Additionally, ADAFSA is presenting initiatives to develop veterinary services and improve livestock health through smart systems. The On-farm Economic Activities Initiative allows for 145 approved economic activities alongside traditional farming, aiming to diversify income and improve financial sustainability.
These initiatives are part of ADAFSA's broader efforts to modernize agriculture, protect investments, and strengthen food supply chain sustainability in Abu Dhabi.