With the participation of 25 exhibitors and date producers from the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Mauritania and Morocco.
H.E. Dr. Víctor Villalobos Arambola, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the United Mexican States, inaugurated on Monday, 06th of November, 2023 in San Luis, Rio Colorado, the Second Mexico International Date Palm Festival, in the presence of H.E. Ahmed AlMenhali, UAE Ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Alfonso Durazo Montaño, Governor of the State of Sonora, Dr. Armando Moreno Soto, U.E.S. Chancellor, C.P. Santos Gonzáles Yescas, San Luis Rio Colorado Mayor, Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, and a number of members of the diplomatic corps, experts and specialists in date palm cultivation and production in Mexico.
His Excellency Arambola, expressed his happiness for the ongoing cooperation between the two friendly countries, the UAE and Mexico, at various levels, where the sincere thanks and appreciation is extended to H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, for his ongoing support to the festival for the development of the palm cultivation and production sector in Mexico. His Excellency also added that this festival marked the beginning of a fruitful cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture in Mexico and the General Secretariat of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, to enhance food security and achieve sustainable development.
For his side, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Al Menhali, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Mexico, pointed out that the Second Mexico International Date Palm Festival came to emphasize the depth of the bilateral relations between both countries, and the close cooperation that links its peoples, under the wise leadership of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates “May God protect him”, and H.E. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of the United States of Mexico.
Pointing out the efforts put by the Award’s General Secretariat in meeting the vision of the wise leadership in developing the date palm cultivation and production sector at the national, regional and international levels, which contributed to strengthening the UAE’s leading position in this sector globally. As well as emphasizing the Award’s role over sixteen years, and the continuous success achieved, through organizing a series of international date conferences and festivals in a number of countries, with the continuous support of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and the close follow-up of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, also indicated that the Award has achieved tangible success in organizing a series of date festivals, and which exceeded thirty festivals, over sixteen years in the United Arab Emirates, Arab Republic of Egypt, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Sudan, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Kingdom of Morocco, and the United Mexican States. This confirms the international position of the Award and its ongoing role as a platform for building partnerships in the development of date palm cultivation, production, manufacturing and marketing of dates and the advancement of this sector at the national, regional and international levels, thanks to the guidance and support the Award got from of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and ongoing follow up by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees.
As for the festival’s program and activities, the Award’s Secretary General added that the festival includes a local competition for Mexican date growers and producers in the United States of Mexico. In addition to the participation of 25 exhibitors from five date-producing countries: the United Arab Emirates, Arab Republic of Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the United Mexican States. In addition to a photography competition (the Mexican version of the palm tree in the eyes of the world) in which 17 photographers from Mexico participated. This is in addition to an exhibition of Mexican dates with wide participation from date growers, producers, manufacturers, exporters and traders in Mexico. A scientific symposium accompanying the festival was also held, in which a number of date palm experts, researchers and academics from Mexico participated.
Honoring the winners of the competition
Where the Mexican Dates Competition winners honoring ceremony took place, and the results were as follows:
1- Best applied scientific research on date palm cultivation in Mexico.
won by M.C. Blanca Dalila Pérez Pérez
2- Best production of Mejhoul variety in Mexico.
won by Ernesto Bobadilla Caballero (Datilera Azteca)
3- Best (processed) food product from Mexican dates
won by Juan Manuel Cazares
4- Best date palm farm in Mexico
won by Everardo Alfaro (Datilera del Desierto)
5- Best operator (packing house or factory) of dates in Mexico (manual or mechanical)
won by Jorge Anaya Sierra
Honoring influential figures in the date palm sector in Mexico:
The three best personalities who contributed to serving the date palm cultivation and production sector in Mexico were honored:
1- Eng. Natividad Jaime.
2- Miss Kenya Melissa Lopez Padilla
3-Eng. Jose Juan Monites Lepe
The winners of the photography competition in Mexico were also honored, and the results were as follows:
First category:
1- First place winner: Leonardo Francisco Escobar Ochoa
2- Second place winner: Jesús A. Malacara
3- Third place winner: Ramon Armando López Pérez
Second category:
1- First place winner: Carmen G. Godoy M.
2- Second place winner: Everardo Gonzalez Moreno
3- Third place winner: Daniel Soto Gallegos
