With the attendance of 97 farmers and experts in the Date Palm cultivation sector, and representing 15 Arab countries

Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation organized a virtual lecture, presenting “Integrated management initiative to combat date palm pests (Nakhilna)”, by Eng. Hamda Mahmoud Balshawareb, Acting Head of Plant Health Department, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, on Wednesday the 25^th of November, 2020. The lecture was attended by 97 participants, representing 15 countries, among which are members of the Date Palm Friends Society in the UAE, date palm farmers, and Agricultural experts.

This virtual lecture held via Zoom, comes under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, President of the Award’s Board of Trustees, and within the Award’s framework and commitment to spread the scientific knowledge and awareness on the Date Palm Best Practices, and providing technical and scientific advice and support to farmers to help them improve the Dates quality. Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, the Award’s Secretary General, expressed his appreciation to the extended scientific and professional efforts made by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, in the field of integrated date palm pest control management, and its impact on the development of the date palm cultivation and date production in the UAE.  The UAE also under its wise leadership is keen to follow the Late Sheikh Zayed’s lead and same approach in supporting date palm cultivation and production.

For her side, Eng. Hamda Mahmoud presented during the lecture some of the main challenges facing the date palm cultivation sector in the UAE, as the nature of the soil, salinity and lack of water, makes the pests control one of the most important challenges faced. Where one of the most significant pests is: The Red Palm Weevil, which is considered one of the most dangerous pests that attacks the date palm tree, the Humaira insect, the Dubas, and the dust spider are all pests that threaten the date palm trees, and clearly affects the quality of their fruits.

Eng. Hamda, then highlighted the stages of launching the Integrated Management Initiative to Combat Date Palm Pests (Nakhlina) in 2012, where the strategic goal is to enhance food diversity and ensure its sustainability, in order to achieve an integrated management of ecosystems and natural resources, for a green economy and sustainable environment for us and the future generations. The "Nakhilna" initiative, is an initiative launched to enhance the efficiency of integrated date palm pest control operations, and achieving food and bio security in the UAE. This initiative also seeks to find an integrated set of procedures and services provided to date palm farmers to enhance the economic contribution of date palm cultivation, date production and related industries to the domestic product, and also to enhance its role in maintaining food security and diversifying income sources by improving quality products, in addition to creating correct databases. This will in return preserve the prestigious position reached by the UAE in the field of date palm cultivation and dates production, as the initiative focuses on achieving good agricultural practices and educating date palm of these practices. Today the number of farms covered by the (Nakhilna) initiative reached (9,431) and with a total number of trees (260,8007).

Eng. Hamda Mahmoud then concluded the lecture by highlighting the great role played by the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation in supporting and developing the date palm cultivation sector and the date production worldwide, through organizing the Arab Date Palm Festivals, which actively contributed to the increase the reputation of the Arab dates and the volume of exports, in addition to the series of international conferences organized by the Award’s General Secretariat for over twenty years.