In conjunction with the launch of the 21st Liwa Date Festival 2025, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), has released the Abu Dhabi Date Varieties Guide, a comprehensive reference for the most prominent date varieties in the emirate.
ADAFSA's pavilion at the festival will promote the guide to help farmers, visitors, and stakeholders learn about palm farming and date production.
Featuring 61 date varieties classified by their environmental and geographical traits, the guide clarifies varieties suitable for arid regions and others adapted to high-humidity coastal areas. The guide further provides in-depth details on ripening times, production rates, unique traits for each variety, and recommendations to improve quality and productivity.
The guide highlights several prominent date varieties, including Fard, which is widely grown in Abu Dhabi, particularly in Al Ain Region. It is a commercial variety consumed both fully ripe (Rutab), and dry (Tamer). Another variety is Dabbas, a commercially significant variety that thrives in arid environments, such as the Al Dhafra region. The guide also introduces Naghal dates, an early-maturing variety of high economic value, primarily consumed when fully ripe (Rutab).
ADAFSA emphasised that releasing this guide aligns with its strategy to promote sustainable agriculture and provide farmers with accurate information for selecting environmentally appropriate varieties. Moreover, the guide will contribute to preserving the diversity of local varieties while enhancing the economic value of the emirate's date palm sector.
According to ADAFSA, the guide serves as a technical reference for farmers and professionals to improve agricultural productivity and food security through the cultivation of high-quality local cultivars. The authority emphasised that publishing such guides reinforces its efforts to promote Abu Dhabi's position as a leading hub for sustainable agriculture, aligning with Abu Dhabi's vision for comprehensive and sustainable development.
The guide is available to the public on ADAFSA's website, and will also be distributed to farmers as part of ADAFSA's awareness programmes and initiatives, ensuring its information is accessible to all target groups, with a focus on visitors of the Liwa Date Festival 2025.
