(MENAFN- Jordan Times)
AMMAN - Deputising for his majesty King Abdullah, Minister of Agriculture Khalid Hneifat on Sunday inaugurated the Sixth International Date Festival in Amman.
The festival is supported by sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Jordan Date Association (JODA), and under the supervision of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, according to a statement for The Jordan Times.
Among the attendees were Chargé d'Affaires of the UAE embassy in Amman Hamad Matrooshi, and Secretary-General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation Abdel Wahab Zayed.
The event also welcomed representatives from international organisations, as well as a diverse audience of researchers, farmers, and industry professionals.
Palm cultivation in Jordan has ancient historical roots, with evidence showing that Aqaba practiced date palm farming 3,000 years before Christ. And investments in this sector have reached approximately half a billion dollars, creating nearly 10,000 job opportunities, 40 per cent of which for women.
Hneifat also highlighted that 20 per cent of the agricultural land in the Jordan Valley is dedicated to date palm cultivation and expressed his gratitude to Sheikh Nahyan for his continued support of the festival, the statement said.
Anwar Haddad, President of the Jordan Date Palm Farmers Association (JODA), reflected on the festival's success over the past six years. He noted that date palm farming in the Jordan Valley has expanded to 45,000 dunums, with production reaching 35,000 tons -marking a 125% increase from previous years. Haddad also pointed out that Jordan's premium dates are now exported to over 51 countries, with the total value of date production exceeding $60 million.
Jordan ranks 11th globally in terms of export volume and 9th in export value.
The festival's opening included the sign of three memorandum of understanding between the JODA and several entities in the field of palm cultivation and date production.
“The Royal patronage of King Abdullah for the festival is a testament to its continued success year after year,” Hneifat said.
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