Al Wathba Honey Festival Concludes With Significant Public Turnout And Local Producer Participation

The Al Wathba Honey Festival, a key event linked to the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, recently concluded with significant public engagement and notable local involvement. Held at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, it featured specialised competitions, marketing displays, and educational programmes. The festival brought together 42 local producers showcasing a variety of products like liquid and crystallised honey, beeswax, pollen, and propolis to visitors from diverse backgrounds.

Participants praised the festival as an excellent marketing platform. Fadel Nasser Al Saadi highlighted that the award supports local producers by improving production quality and encouraging best practices. Amina Mohammed noted that this support has spurred investment in the sector, boosting economic sustainability for beekeepers and expanding production to meet rising demand for Emirati honey.

The festival organised eight major competitions with 246 participants and 40 winners across various categories. These included 64 entries in Best Liquid Sidr Honey, 53 in Best Liquid Samar Honey, 13 in Best Wild Sidr Honey, 11 in Best Marine Samar Honey, 28 in Best Honeycomb, 31 in Best Crystallised Honey, 21 in Best Pollen Product, and 25 in Best Beeswax Block. This competitive environment encouraged innovation among local producers.

Engineer Mansour Al Saeedi, Chairman of the Al Wathba Honey Festival, stated that the event serves as a strategic platform to enhance Emirati honey's competitiveness. It supports beekeepers through training and awareness initiatives while emphasising the sector's role in agricultural sustainability and national food security. He added that the festival offered visitors a rich experience with heritage and cultural activities.

Mohammed Saleh Al Katheeri remarked that the festival motivates local producers to innovate and improve quality standards. It also provides an opportunity to showcase Emirati honey to a wide audience. He mentioned that support for beekeepers encourages investment in this vital sector, paving the way for new apiarists capable of achieving self-sufficiency.

The festival's success solidifies its status as one of the region’s leading specialised agricultural events. It reflects Abu Dhabi’s commitment to developing the beekeeping sector and supporting national products for global competition. The event has become a unifying platform for beekeepers by fostering positive competition and knowledge exchange.

Future Prospects

This year marked the first participation of the UAE Beekeepers Association at the festival. They highlighted Dubai's upcoming hosting of the 50th International Apimondia Congress in 2027 – a first for the Arab world. This underscores UAE's growing influence in high-quality honey production and agricultural innovation.

The competitions ran until December 14th, showcasing advanced participation levels and successful beekeeping practices. Al Saeedi stressed that this is not just a seasonal event but part of a broader vision to strengthen sustainable food security. It aims to build an integrated community of beekeepers while reinforcing UAE’s position as a leader in honey production.

With inputs from WAM