Newsletter Issue 01

Date Competition
General Conditions of Date Competition:
1- Dates must be of UAE local production
2- Dates are not accepted in the competition
3- Production must be from the participant’s farm
4- Farm Ownership documents must be submitted upon registration.
5- An individual can take part in two categories; while the “elite” category is available for all.
6- For participation in the elite category, the number of items to be presented in the participation must not be less than 15
items, and not more than 20 items.
7- 50% of assessment degree for winner shall be determined after the judging committee inspects the farm and makes sure of
the following:
- General cleanliness of the farm
- To what extent the farmer is taking care of the palm tree (general cleanliness of palm tress)
- Using the optimal ways of irrigations for saving irrigation water
- Complying with dates and times for delivering the samples as per the dates and time pre-scheduled
Specifications of Date and Criteria of Competition:
- Must be of local production, 2012 season
- Percentage of maturity of date must not exceed 50%, but must be at suitable maturity stage.
- Each participation must not contain more than one item in the single-item categories.
- Must be free of insect infections, or any dead insects, larva, etc.
- Must be free of apparent defects and deformations
- Must be free of any abnormal smell or taste, or any metal or sand impurities such as scars and blemishes
- Must be of suitable and acceptable size
- Must not contain any unripe fruits
- Must be free of any insecticides and chemical fertilizers (winning participations will be tested in labs)
- Dates must be presented in the participations in all categories of competition must be presented in (Mekhrafa)
- Participation weight must be from 5 to 8 KGs for individual items.
- Participation weight must be from 2 to 3 KGs for elite category.
- Participants must accept the judging committee’s decision.
12 Liwa Date Festival 2012 Liwa, Western Region, Abu Dhabi, from 12 to 18 July 2012