The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) stated that date palm agriculture in the UAE has grown significantly in recent years, and that it is working to advance the sector and ensure its long-term viability by launching farmer-focused programmes and services that encourage farmers to use good production practises.

On the night of the annual Arab Date Palm Day on September 15th, ADAFSA announced that total output in 2020 would be 258,000 tonnes, underscoring the organization's efforts to promote this important industry. It was stated that the quality of the dates is determined by the dedication to use good agricultural methods from the beginning of the season until harvest.

Since the programme began in 2013, ADAFSA's integrated palm pest management programme for Abu Dhabi farms has successfully managed pests and insects that infect palm trees, with pheromone traps assisting in the elimination of 9,785,661 red palm weevils.

In Abu Dhabi, there are already 21,157 light traps and 125,134 pheromone traps deployed around farms, it said.

Technical teams from ADAFSA surveyed pests that harm palm trees, covering more than 6.8 million trees in 22,855 farms across Abu Dhabi. Infected palm trees were treated and the pests and insects that infected them were controlled under this framework, which included the use of pheromone traps to catch red palm weevils and light traps to catch excavators, as well as pesticides and micronized sulphur sprays.

The date palm is the world's oldest cultivated tree, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.