Under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, the Award’s General Secretariat announced the opening of nominations candidature to its 16th session 2024,  and nominations for the Distinguished and Innovative Farmer Award, in its 6th session, 2024, from the 1st of June 2023 up to the 15th of  December 2023, allowing date palm growers, producers, researchers, academics, date palm tree lovers, from  UAE, and from across the world to apply, compete, and win in one of the categories of the International Award or the Local Award, this came in a press statement made by Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Award’s Secretary General, on Thursday, 01st of June, 2023.

Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, highlighted the fact that the Award's progress chart over the past sixteen years, has been significantly growing, thanks to the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and continuous follow-up of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees, where the great openness to the local, regional and international community resulted in increasing the number of candidates in the various Award’s categories, over the past fifteen years.

Dr. A. Zaid, also stressed on the keenness of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, to enhance the Award’s local and international presence, and continue its journey of successes achieved over the past years, gained because of the appreciation of date palm growers, producers and researchers in the field of date palm and agricultural innovation in the UAE, and across the world. Where the total number of candidates in the Award’s categories throughout the past 15 years, was a total of 1,938 participants representing, 59 countries from across the world, of whom 94 won, 1,530 Arab participants, of whom 49 won, and 150 participants from the UAE, of whom 27 won. While the number of foreigners participating in the Award reached 258, of whom 18 won. Where 66 distinguished national and international organizations and personalities were honored, including 25 personalities from the UAE, 26 from several Arab countries, and 8 from the rest of the world.

On the other hand, Dr. Helal Humaid Saed Al Kaabi, member of the Award’s Board of Trustees, announced the opening of nomination in the Distinguished and Innovative Farmers Award, in the UAE in its Sixth session, organized by the Award’s General Secretariat in cooperation with Al Foah Company, where he urged date palm growers to participate in the Award, as of its importance in promoting the competitiveness of Emirati dates at the local and international markets, pointing out that the number of participants in the Distinguished and Innovative Farmers Award in the UAE, during the past five sessions, reached 446 participant, of whom 36 date palm growers, from across the UAE have won, where their farms followed the international standards of quality dates, which they then marketed to Al Foah company, in terms of quantity and quality, in addition to their commitment to all the requirements of security, safety and public health approved by the competent authorities towards the farm workers or in agricultural services and technical procedures followed by them. Dr. Al Kaabi also praised the great efforts made by the members of the Award’s technical committee in evaluating the received participations in accordance with the best professional standards.

Mr. Mohammed Ghanem Al Mansouri, Deputy CEO of Al Foah Company, also praised the Award's General Secretariat efforts in managing the UAE Distinguished and Innovative farmer Award, in cooperation with Al Foah Company, and the successful results achieved in developing the date palm cultivation and date production sector nationally, regionally and internationally.

Finally, the Award’s General Secretariat, announced that all technical and administrative preparations have been completed to receive applications starting from the 1st of June 2023, up to the 15th of December 2023, where the winners will be announced during the month of February 2024, and the ceremony will be held in February 2024.