Some 50 Exhibitors Cook up Business Plans at Liwa Dates Festival
From new cupping ssuction therapy from Madinat Zayed to interest fruit lemonade developed by two Emirati ladies from Mazeirah, the Liwa Dates Festival this year is more compared to ever concentrated on business.
Traditional market apart, some 50 exhibitors - people, private business and government organisations - are showcasing their products and services at the 13th edition of the festival, happening in Mazeirah (Liwa City) this July 19th - 29th.
Amongst them is Hassa Al Mansouri from Dubai, participating for the first time at Liwa Dates Festival.
" I'm right here with an item that surprises every person. It resembles dates, however it is not. They are desserts made with brownish flour, water and sweetened with days' paste. The various colours show the different flavours; the red originates from saffron and the brown from chocolate, for instance. They could appear a little bit costly, yet they are made with premium quality ingredients," said Ms. Mansouri.
A large box of date sweets is AED 250, however the cost also reflects the gorgeous white, tied wooden box packaging. A normal container box is AED 100. It is not simply dates-shaped sugary foods she sells, it is a range of "layouts", from the dhallah (the conventional Arabic coffee pot) to the Hand of Fatima.
" I do not have a company yet. I grew up with dates and I enjoy them. In 2014 I began developing these days sweets. I invested a lot of time in producing my dishes and developing my products, however that's due to the fact that I love what I'm doing," she claimed.
" For now I'm offering with social media; I have an Instagram account, however I'm hoping by now following year to join Liwa Dates Festival representing my very own company".
Also providing its own dates desserts recipes at the Liwa Dates Festival is Al Maqtaa Dates, a well-established company from Al Ain. Soft and creamy in texture, its mix of dates paste sugary foods with a tip of Omani helwa, some dusted in cacao powder, others covered in edible climbed flowers or sesame seeds, are priced at AED 90 for one kilo. Al Maqtaa has actually gone an action additionally, though, selling its sweets boxes with dipping chocolate and tahini sauces.
" All our days come from our very own palm tree orchards. We have several farms in Al Ain, all very own by the royal household. We expand Khallas, Farth, Bou Maan, Shishi, Jabri, all the preferred selections of days," explained Raed Mohamad, Factory Manager for Al Maqtaa Dates.
" Our chefs have likewise produced dates biscuits and green days pickles, however just what we market most is days themselves. To get the tamar, the completely dry dates, is quite a lengthy process. First, once the days start ripening, we cover all the breakfasts that expand on palm trees with this green net that you see on all palm trees. Once they are fully ripened, the days drop in the internet. We keep them there for 2, three days to dry in the sunlight, then we sort them. The good ones are put in a fridge at minus 18 levels Celsius for a couple of weeks. This eliminates any type of pests the dates could have. After that we sort them again, selecting only good quality ones to be packaged and commercialized".
AL FOAH'S NEW PLANS
The majority of farmers in the UAE sell their dates to Al Foah, the biggest dates company in the nation, had by the Abu Dhabi government. They keep some for personal consumption, if they have camels; they conserve the lower quality dates for animal feed et cetera farmers offer to Al Foah.
This year at the Liwa Dates Festival, the company is talking with farmers for the first time about means to raise the earnings for date palm owners. " Right now we purchase all types of dates, however in the future we would certainly such as farmers to expand one of the most industrial ranges. We are a government company, so we buy all the days farmers across the UAE want to sell us during the period. We get more than 100,000 tonnes and of that we export almost 90% to concerning 45 countries," described Mr. Faris Sumairi, Advertising and marketing Manager at Al Foah.
" We are trying now to expand internationally and for this we have to get farmers recognize which are one of the most industrial types of dates that they need to focus on, which would supply them with larger returns. It would be a great deal. We get what we desire - the dates that offer finest - and the farmers obtain even more cash money." The procedure of transforming the kinds of palm trees is neither economical, nor quick. From a seed starting, it takes 4 to 5 years for a palm tree to grow and create fruit.
"There are various kinds of days worldwide. The number could range from 800 to almost 1000 selections of days. They vary per region, however additionally differ in regards to structure, colour, dimension, taste etc. Some areas are renowned for certain selections of dates. In the UAE especially, Dabbas days are truly popular for the Liwa region. You'll not see this range anywhere else. Farth, on the other hand, comes from the Al Ain region. Khallas is popular across the board," pointed out Mr. Sumairi.
From the UAE, the most profitable kinds of dates are Khallas, Farth, Lulu, Dabbas and Khunaizi. These are also the ranges most searched for at the Liwa Dates Festival. In a special market area devoted to ratab (half mature days) just, local farmers offer premium days for AED 30 per one kg or AED 100 for a basket of 4 kilograms that consists of the hand-crafted palm fallen leave woven basket.
Organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi, Liwa Dates Festival is opened daily to the public from 4PM till 10PM.
