Mexico, UAE to Co-Host 2025 International Date Palm Festival

Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (KIADPAI) have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-organize the fourth edition of the International Date Palm Festival in Mexico. The event will take place from Nov. 27 to 29, 2025, in the states of Baja California and Sonora.

The agreement was formalized by Santiago Arguello, General Coordinator of Crop and Livestock Production, SADER, and Abdelouahhab Alboukhari Zaid, Secretary General, KIADPAI. Both officials highlighted the collaboration as a step toward strengthening agricultural innovation, cooperation and sustainable development in the date palm value chain.

KIADPAI, an initiative backed by the Zayed Philanthropy Foundation and the Presidential Court of the United Arab Emirates, is a global platform aimed at promoting scientific research, technological innovation and sustainability in date palm cultivation. Its activities include international festivals, technical publications, cooperation programs and awards recognizing best practices in countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.

Mexico has expanded its date palm sector since signing the initial memorandum of understanding with KIADPAI in 2022. The country has seen growth in both planted area and production value, particularly in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila and Sonora.

In 2023, Mexico exported over 2,700t of dates valued at more than US$11 million to more than 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The upcoming festival is expected to further enhance technical capacity, raise production standards and improve integration of Mexican producers into global value chains. It also presents opportunities for new trade connections with markets in the Middle East and North Africa, where dates hold both nutritional and cultural importance.

Since its launch in 2022, the festival has served as a platform for scientific, technical and commercial exchange between Mexico and the Arab world. The event features exhibitions, symposiums, specialized forums and cultural activities aimed at promoting knowledge transfer and positioning Mexican dates in the international market.