ABU DHABI // Bolstering the domestic date palm industry could be a cornerstone of the UAE's future food security, according to United Nations food experts.
"The Middle East, North Africa and Sahel have great potential to use dates as a solution for feeding the population and offering income," Jacques Diouf, the director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on the sidelines of the Khalifa International Date Palm Awards yesterday.
Date palm harvests account for two-thirds of the income for people living in the desert, according to Mr Diouf.
Additionally, the combined negative effects of water scarcity and climate change on the agriculture industry may make dates, which can grow in harsh climates, more important to the world's future food needs.
Worldwide date production has increased considerably in the past three decades, rising from 1.8 million tonnes in 1963 to 6.7 million in 2003, according to the FAO. Technologies such as tissue culturing, genetic modification and selective breeding have a huge potential to improve the yield of date plants, he said.
He said that more and higher yields translate to new jobs in processing and packaging factories.
Dates are already big business in the UAE. The domestic industry earned nearly Dh30 million in 2005, with production estimated to have grown since then at a rate of 15 per cent per year.
The UAE is a major date exporter to countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan.
According to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the UAE has long focused on the "value of the date palm to achieve balanced and sustainable development".
The UAE now accounts for six per cent of the world's dates, making it the seventh-largest date producer. There are more than 40 million palm trees in the country.
The Date Palm Research and Development Unit, owned and financed by United Arab Emirates University, has helped boost the UAE's production of plant materials. The lab turns out around 150,000 cultured date palms a year. Since it opened in 1993, it has produced more than 1 million trees.
Members of the centre are on the board of trustees of the awards programme, an annual event that honours advancements and research in the field of date palm production.
According to Sheikh Nahyan, the awards act as a "strong incentive" to encourage researchers to develop new farming methods and improve the "economic benefits of the date palm".
This year, eight winners were selected from 131 entrants - up from 67 last year - from 24 countries. Award winners received Dh300,000, with runners-up granted Dh200,000. The selection committee withheld awards in two of the 10 categories.
Globally, there is a pressing need to develop new agriculture methods, as the world's food supply comes under pressure from climate change and population growth.
In January, the UK report Global Food and Farming Futures stressed that investment in new technologies would be vital if the world is to be able to feed itself by 2050.
mdetrie@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Mrs%20Chatterjee%20Vs%20Norway
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ashima%20Chibber%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rani%20Mukerji%2C%20Anirban%20Bhattacharya%20and%20Jim%20Sarbh%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
