“Al Foah” announces updated dates marketing policy

FOR DEVELOPING DATE PALM SECTOR AND ENHANCING UAE DATES COMPETITIVENESS IN THE GLOBAL MARKETS

Al Foah, a subsidiary of The General Holding Corporation “Senaat”, announced that it will start to implement an updated policy, from the dates season of the current year until 2022 season. The policy aims to guarantee the provision of the best financial income for the largest segment of farmers by encouraging them to raise the produced dates quality and focusing on producing the varieties of high commercial value. Thus, this will improve the competitiveness and quality of UAE products globally.

On his part, His Excellency Eng. Dhafer Ayed Al Ahbabi, Chairman of Al Foah's Board of Directors, stated that the updated policy for dates marketing is based on categorizing dates as a number of categories, setting a new system for pricing dates according to their commercial value in the global markets, and categorizing farmers as two categories based on the classification of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority. The classification of ADFCA is based on the real state income of farm owners. In addition, and farmers are categorized as small farmers and large farmers. Concerning the farmers of the Northern Emirates, they must contact Al Foah through the call center on 8005551 to categorize farmers in same standards used in the classification of Abu Dhabi farmers.

Moreover, Dhafer Ayed Al Ahbabi stressed the fact that the updating the dates marketing policy will help achieve a strategic objective by developing the industry of dates in the country and promoting the position of UAE as one of the most important countries in the world in producing and processing high-quality dates.

His Excellency indicated that Al Foah, during the years when the updated dates marketing policy is implemented, will follow well-studied mechanisms to protect the income of farmers , particularly the small ones, immediately after implementing the updated policy, extending for 3 years. This is to reduce the impacts of market fluctuations and to help farmers in updating their operational processes in order to be in line with the new standards. So, they will be able to complete the replacement of categories processes according to the new dates marketing policy.

Thus, Al Foah gives farmers enough time to adapt themselves to the updated policy. Al Foah will also work intensively on raising the awareness of farmers and encouraging them to turn to producing varieties of high commercial value and high quality species. So, they can generate better financial income, leading to increasing the investment feasibility of their farms and products.

In the same context, His Excellency Musallam Obaid Al Ahales Al Ameri, Chief Executive Officer of Al Foah, stated that the new dates classification divides dates into 4 categories: 1) high commercial value dates, represented by products of Khenaizi, Fard, Lulu, Barhi and Medjool; 2) medium commercial value dates, represented by products of Sagee, Bumaan, Khalas, Dabbas, Rezaiz, Sukkari, Shishi, Anbarah Madina and Muktomi; 3) acceptable commercial value dates, represented by products of Sultana, Nabtat Saif, Gabri and Nagal; and 4) the last is of the lowest commercial value dates, represented by products of Sayer and other dates.

Musallam Al Ameri added that it is expected that the updated policy will serve a large segment of farmers and encourage them to raise the quality of all products of dates and production standards in general. In addition, the dates marketing policy will provide a better distribution of incentives by encouraging farmers who depend on agriculture and dates production. All this serves the UAE dates industry and promotes its position in the global markets.

Al Ameri also stressed that this will not affect the income of small farmers. On the contrary, there is a high probability to increase their income thanks to the change in the calculation mechanism of production ceiling that depends on the number of palm trees of farms. The ceiling of farm and species will be determined by the number of palm trees according to the latest palm statistical data conducted by Al Foah.

Furthermore, Musallam Al Ameri urged all farmers to make sure of the conformity of various palm trees numbers with the methods to be set out by Al Foah for all planters.

Concerning categories of farmers, Musallam Al Ameri stated that the classification was based on the income system rather than the quantity of the marketed quantity of dates, because the classification aims to improve the income of small farmers. Al Ameri further stressed on the fact that Al Foah will make sure the income of small farmers earned, by implementing the updated dates marketing policy, will not be less than the income of the year 2017, provided that farmers maintain the same marketed quantity of each product. This lasts for 3 years until the end of 2020 season.

It is worth mentioning that Al Foah is engaging in holding a number of various workshops and events during the coming period in order to explain all aspects of the updated dates marketing policy. Plus, all farmers will be communicated before the dates delivery season this year, to be launched on the fourth day of next August, to make sure that they understand the policy and guarantee the fulfillment of all new requirements.

Al Foah is the largest dates producing company in the world! It produces and exports more than 100,000.00 tons of dates annually to more than 45 countries, while it receives dates from more than 17,000.00 farmers from all over the country within the dates marketing season. Al Foah is a leading company in the field of receiving, producing and exporting dates across the world. It has high capabilities to understand the requirements and future trends of markets.