Khalifa Date Palm Award Winners Finalised: Nahyan Bin Mubarak

During a press conference held by the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary-General of the award, announced the winners of the 11th Session at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday morning.

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 12th Feb, 2020) During a press conference held by the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary-General of the award, announced the winners of the 11th Session at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday morning.

This took place in the presence of Dr. Helal Humaid Saed Al Kaabi, Member of the board of Trustees, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Council for Quality and Conformity, Member of the Scientific Committee of the Award, and Musallam Obaid Al-Khales Al Ameri, CEO of Al Foah Company.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and President of the Board of Trustees of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, expressed his appreciation towards the support received from the wise leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

Dr. Zaid praised the prominent level the award has reached in its 12th session thanks to the guidance of Sheikh Nahyan.

The approved winners of the five award categories are as follows: Category: Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology Emergent Protective Organogenesis in Date Palms: A Morpho-Devo-Dynamic Adaptive Strategy During Early Development Submitted by: Dr. Ikram Blilou: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology/KSA Category: Pioneering Development and Productive Projects Climate-Smart Livelihoods Initiatives and Market Access Tailoring Submitted by: American University of Beirut/Lebanon Category: Pioneering and Sophisticated Innovations Serving the Agricultural Sector The impact of using the Subsurface -TERRAPLUS tube (T+) system on irrigation amounts and yield for date cultivation.

Submitted by: Al-Nakhli, Dubai/UAE Category: Influential Figure in the Field of Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation Equally between Prof. Kazuo Shinozaki, Japan, and Dr. Hasnaa Harrak, Morocco.

Dr. Helal Humaid Saed Al Kaabi, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Award, confirmed that the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, saw 141 candidates representing 28 countries around the world, where the category of Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology witnessed the highest participation rate at 59.

This was followed by the category of Pioneering and Sophisticated Innovations serving the Agricultural Sector with 39 participants, the category of Influential Figure in the Field of Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation with 22 participants, and the category for Pioneering Development and Productive Projects with 16 participants.

Al-Ameri pointed out that the award for Distinguished Farmers and Innovative Farms organised by the Al Foah Company in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the award, during its third session, attracted eminent farm owners at the regional level that reached 135 farmers with the best and finest date palm plantations in the UAE. The competition focused on four categories, including small, medium, above-average and large farms, in addition to agricultural innovation.

Dr. Helal Al Kaabi also emphasised the importance of the Distinguished Farmer Award in supporting and motivating UAE farmers to develop agricultural services, improve UAE dates and enhance competitiveness at the local and international levels.