Participation of the Food Export Council of Egypt at the 4th Mexico International Date Palm Festival 2025
OFFICIAL REPORT
Participation of the Food Export Council of Egypt at the
4th Mexico International Date Palm Festival 2025
San Luis Río Colorado & Mexicali, Mexico – 27–29 November 2025
1. Background and Context
The 4th Mexico International Date Palm Festival 2025 was held from 27 to 29 November 2025 in San Luis Río Colorado (Sonora) and Mexicali (Baja California), as a joint initiative between the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRICULTURA) and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (KIADPAI), supported by Erth Zayed Philanthropies Foundation and local state governments.
According to official communications, the festival aimed to strengthen international cooperation in date-palm cultivation and agricultural innovation and to position northwest Mexico as a strategic hub for high-value Medjoul date production.
Mexico’s federal Ministry of Agriculture highlighted that the country now exports dates to more than 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan and the UAE, with exports in 2023 exceeding USD 11 million and 2,700 tonnes, underlining the sector’s growing international relevance.
An official note from the State University of Sonora (UES) stressed that Mexico has become the fourth largest global producer of Medjoul dates, after Israel, Jordan and the United States, and that the festival serves as a technical, scientific and productive dialogue platform for desert agriculture.
2. Scale and Participation
Media coverage and KIADPAI releases report that the 4th edition brought together around 40 date growers representing five date-producing countries, along with researchers, experts and diplomats from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Local Mexican press described the festival as an event where producers and exhibitors from Mexico, the UAE, Lebanon, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Mauritania and other countries presented their products and technologies, confirming the event’s international reach.
The festival also hosted the “Mexican Date Palm Industry Competition 2025”, which was open to all actors in the national value chain – from farmers and packing houses to processors, chefs and innovators. Competition categories included:
Best Date Palm Plantation in Mexico
Best Medjoul Producer
Best Packing/Processing Facility
Best Food Product with Mexican Dates
Best Dessert, Dish and Non-Alcoholic Beverage made with dates
These categories underline the diversity of participating Mexican companies, ranging from primary producers to packing, processing, food-manufacturing and gastronomy businesses.
3. Institutional Framework and Strategic Partnerships
During the opening ceremony in San Luis Río Colorado, attended by federal and state officials, UAE representatives and KIADPAI leadership, speakers emphasised that the festival is a key tool for:
Strengthening UAE–Mexico cooperation in agriculture and food security
Promoting sustainable date-palm cultivation in arid regions
Expanding global marketing opportunities for Mexican dates.
A Memorandum of Understanding between KIADPAI and UES was highlighted as a step to deepen collaboration in applied research, academic training and technology transfer on resilient agriculture and sustainable date-palm management.
These partnerships create a framework where international expertise—particularly from the UAE and now Egypt—supports the development of Mexico’s rapidly expanding date industry.
4. Representation of the Food Export Council of Egypt
Within this high-profile context, Dr. Tameem Mohamed Ali Ali Eldawy, Deputy Executive Director and Business Intelligence & IT Manager at the Food Export Council of Egypt (FEC), participated as an official representative of Egypt and keynote speaker in the scientific program.
4.1 Keynote Lecture
Title: “The Evolution of Global Date Exports: Trends, Opportunities, and Future Outlook”
Format: 40-minute keynote – the longest and most prominent speaking slot in the conference agenda, delivered in English with Spanish interpretation.
Organisers: KIADPAI, UES and the local organizing committee (as reflected in the official conference agenda).
AGENDA 4Th FESTIVAL 2025 MEXICO…
The keynote addressed:
Global Export Dynamics (2000–2025) – growth trajectories, leading exporters, and shifts in destination markets.
Demand Drivers – health trends, sugar-reduction, plant-based diets and the rise of value-added date products.
Regional Opportunities – potential for Mexico and Latin America to diversify exports to the Middle East, Europe and Asia and to cooperate with established exporters such as Egypt.
Competitiveness and Value Addition – the importance of quality grading, cold chains, product innovation and branding.
Data-Driven Policy and Trade Intelligence – how structured export-intelligence systems (such as those developed by FEC) support exporters in choosing markets, products and channels.
The lecture positioned Egypt not only as a major date producer, but also as a source of advanced market intelligence and policy insight for the global date industry.
4.2 Engagement with Mexican Stakeholders
Throughout the festival, Dr. Eldawy:
Engaged with Mexican date growers from Sonora and Baja California, discussing production practices, export ambitions and opportunities for technical cooperation.
Met representatives from research institutions and international organizations involved in the festival (FAO, ICARDA, ICBA, ACSAD and regional research networks), exploring joint work on value-chain analysis and knowledge exchange.
Interacted with packing houses, processing companies and food manufacturers participating in the Commercial Exhibition and the Mexican Date Industry Competition, gaining insight into product portfolios such as fresh Medjoul dates, pitted and chopped dates, date syrups, spreads, snacks and confectionery.
These interactions provide a solid base for future B2B connections and technical missions between Egyptian exporters and Mexican industry players.
5. Festival Activities and Dr. Eldawy’s Role
5.1 Opening Ceremony and Scientific Day
Dr. Eldawy attended the opening at Río Colorado Theater, which included:
Addresses by the Mexican Minister of Agriculture and state officials
Remarks by the UAE ambassador and KIADPAI Secretary-General
Presentation of the book “El Cultivo de la Palma Datilera en México”, documenting the evolution of Mexico’s date industry.
Later that day, he took part in the scientific conference sessions, culminating in his keynote lecture. Local and regional media in Spanish highlighted the festival’s scientific component as a space where national and international specialists shared knowledge on cultivation, markets, conservation and value addition.
5.2 Cultural Parade and Commercial Exhibition
On the second day, Dr. Eldawy joined the Grand Date Parade, where agricultural companies, schools and community groups showcased the region’s date heritage through floats, corporate vehicles, and cultural performances, ending at the Municipal Esplanade where the commercial exhibition was inaugurated.
The exhibition featured:
Mexican growers and cooperatives from San Luis Río Colorado and the Mexicali Valley
Packing and processing facilities presenting export-grade dates and date-based products
Culinary stands offering traditional and innovative dishes, desserts and drinks made with local dates.
This setting allowed Dr. Eldawy to understand market positioning, packaging standards and branding strategies used by Mexican companies targeting both domestic and export markets.
5.3 Press Activities and Mexicali Events
On the final day, a press briefing and additional activities were held in Mexicali, attended by regional authorities, KIADPAI leaders and international guests. Media described the festival as consolidating San Luis Río Colorado and Mexicali as reference points for the date industry in northwest Mexico, with plans already announced for a fifth edition in 2026.
Dr. Eldawy used these opportunities to reiterate Egypt’s willingness—through the Food Export Council—to collaborate in areas of:
market intelligence and data sharing;
technical training and study tours;
promotion of Egyptian dates and food products in Mexico and Latin America.
6. Strategic Outcomes for the Food Export Council
Positioning Egypt as a Knowledge Leader
The keynote lecture showcased Egypt’s capability in global market analysis and trade intelligence for dates and other food products, reinforcing the Council’s analytical role.
Opening Channels with Mexican Industry
Direct engagement with growers, packers, processors, chefs and innovators widened the Council’s network of potential partners for future trade missions and B2B activities.
Strengthening Triangular Cooperation (Egypt–UAE–Mexico)
Within a framework already driven by UAE–Mexico collaboration, Egypt’s participation opens the door to triangular projects in research, training and value-chain development.
Enhanced International Visibility
The festival’s multi-language media coverage provides an excellent base for the Council to amplify communications about Egypt’s date sector and wider food-export capabilities.