emirates7 - The Al Wathba Honey Festival, one of the events held alongside the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award and organised by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), is scheduled to commence its activities tomorrow.
The Festival will run from 5th to 14th December at the Award's pavilion within the Sheikh Zayed Festival in the Al Wathba area of Abu Dhabi. It will bring together a group of beekeepers and honey producers from various emirates, competing to showcase the quality of local honey and enhance production standards in the beekeeping sector. A total of 42 local producers will display and market their products, including honey, pollen and propolis, to visitors of different nationalities.
The Festival aims to support local beekeepers and honey producers, develop their skills and enable them to adopt global best practices in beekeeping and honey production. For the first time, it will feature the participation of the Beekeepers Association in the UAE, highlighting the country’s role as the host nation for the 50th International Apicultural Congress, Apimondia, to be held in Dubai in 2027, marking a first for the Arab world. The Apimondia Congress is a periodic international event dedicated to sharing knowledge, advancing research and supporting sustainable beekeeping.
The Festival will include eight accompanying competitions with a combined prize pool of AED622,000. The contests include Best Beeswax with 28 entrants, Best Pollen Product with 21 entrants, Best Crystallised Honey with 31 entrants and Best Honeycomb with 28 entrants. They also comprise Best Sidr Honeycomb – Wild Bee with 13 entrants, Best Samar Honeycomb with 11 entrants, Best Liquid Sidr Honey with 64 entrants and Best Liquid Samar Honey with 53 entrants, bringing the total number of participants in all competitions to 249.
A specialised committee, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and ADAFSA, will evaluate the submitted samples. Rigorous laboratory tests will ensure compliance with approved national standards, including the requirement for honey to be free of impurities, foreign materials, wax residue, defects and crystallisation. The honey must also be homogenous, naturally coloured and free of air bubbles.
Eng. Mansour Al Saeedi, Chairman of the Al Wathba Honey Festival, said the Festival has become a key national platform reflecting the UAE's commitment to supporting the beekeeping and honey sector and enhancing the competitiveness of local products. He noted that this year’s edition has seen significant growth in the number of participants and the range of products on display.
He added that the doubling of prize money and the introduction of a new competition demonstrate the Award's dedication to promoting innovation and improving the quality of honey products in the country. He underscored the Festival’s role in reinforcing consumer confidence in local honey through the application of stringent inspection and accreditation standards.
He emphasised that close collaboration between ADAFSA and its partners creates a fair competitive environment that supports beekeepers and provides wider opportunities for development and growth. He reaffirmed ADAFSA’s ongoing support for local producers, enabling them to access markets more effectively and strengthening the Festival’s contribution to the agricultural and food sector in the UAE.
Eng. Al Saeedi also encouraged beekeepers across the country to participate in the main award category, noting that it offers a valuable platform to highlight their efforts, exchange successful experiences and elevate the competitiveness of the local honey production system. He urged swift registration before the 15th December deadline, highlighting that the Award features expanded categories and increased prize values, motivating beekeepers to showcase their skills, adopt best practices and enhance production quality.
Throughout its duration, the Festival will include educational and entertainment activities for children, allowing them to learn about the stages of honey production and the UAE’s efforts to improve the quality of local agricultural products.
The Festival will run from 5th to 14th December at the Award's pavilion within the Sheikh Zayed Festival in the Al Wathba area of Abu Dhabi. It will bring together a group of beekeepers and honey producers from various emirates, competing to showcase the quality of local honey and enhance production standards in the beekeeping sector. A total of 42 local producers will display and market their products, including honey, pollen and propolis, to visitors of different nationalities.
The Festival aims to support local beekeepers and honey producers, develop their skills and enable them to adopt global best practices in beekeeping and honey production. For the first time, it will feature the participation of the Beekeepers Association in the UAE, highlighting the country’s role as the host nation for the 50th International Apicultural Congress, Apimondia, to be held in Dubai in 2027, marking a first for the Arab world. The Apimondia Congress is a periodic international event dedicated to sharing knowledge, advancing research and supporting sustainable beekeeping.
The Festival will include eight accompanying competitions with a combined prize pool of AED622,000. The contests include Best Beeswax with 28 entrants, Best Pollen Product with 21 entrants, Best Crystallised Honey with 31 entrants and Best Honeycomb with 28 entrants. They also comprise Best Sidr Honeycomb – Wild Bee with 13 entrants, Best Samar Honeycomb with 11 entrants, Best Liquid Sidr Honey with 64 entrants and Best Liquid Samar Honey with 53 entrants, bringing the total number of participants in all competitions to 249.
A specialised committee, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and ADAFSA, will evaluate the submitted samples. Rigorous laboratory tests will ensure compliance with approved national standards, including the requirement for honey to be free of impurities, foreign materials, wax residue, defects and crystallisation. The honey must also be homogenous, naturally coloured and free of air bubbles.
Eng. Mansour Al Saeedi, Chairman of the Al Wathba Honey Festival, said the Festival has become a key national platform reflecting the UAE's commitment to supporting the beekeeping and honey sector and enhancing the competitiveness of local products. He noted that this year’s edition has seen significant growth in the number of participants and the range of products on display.
He added that the doubling of prize money and the introduction of a new competition demonstrate the Award's dedication to promoting innovation and improving the quality of honey products in the country. He underscored the Festival’s role in reinforcing consumer confidence in local honey through the application of stringent inspection and accreditation standards.
He emphasised that close collaboration between ADAFSA and its partners creates a fair competitive environment that supports beekeepers and provides wider opportunities for development and growth. He reaffirmed ADAFSA’s ongoing support for local producers, enabling them to access markets more effectively and strengthening the Festival’s contribution to the agricultural and food sector in the UAE.
Eng. Al Saeedi also encouraged beekeepers across the country to participate in the main award category, noting that it offers a valuable platform to highlight their efforts, exchange successful experiences and elevate the competitiveness of the local honey production system. He urged swift registration before the 15th December deadline, highlighting that the Award features expanded categories and increased prize values, motivating beekeepers to showcase their skills, adopt best practices and enhance production quality.
Throughout its duration, the Festival will include educational and entertainment activities for children, allowing them to learn about the stages of honey production and the UAE’s efforts to improve the quality of local agricultural products.