*** ----> Get ready for Bahrain International Garden Show | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Get ready for Bahrain International Garden Show

Manama : Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS) will be inaugurated on Feb 21, it was announced yesterday.

The show will be open to the public from 22-25 February at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC). 

BIGS will be held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and with continued support from Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and president of the consultative council for the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD).

At a press conference, held by NIAD yesterday at BIECC, Shaikha Maram Bint Isa Al Khalifa, Secretary-General of NIAD, said that the show will continue to showcase a wide range of agricultural services and technologies that play a major role in the development and sustainability of the agricultural sector in the Kingdom.

“This year’s show will focus on good agricultural practices and standards that ensure safety and security of food and agricultural workers, based on international standards. To achieve this, the theme  ‘Food Safety and Human Health’ was chosen for this year’s edition where a full display will be dedicated to pre and post-harvest procedures which affect the quality of agricultural products,  as well as good agricultural practices (GAP), which are vital to ensure food safety and environmental sustainability. “

In the same pavilion, there will be two areas allocated to official bodies that monitor food safety in Bahrain: the Food Safety and Quality Control Unit under the Agriculture and Marine Resources Authority, and the Food Control and Food Analysis Laboratory section of the Ministry of Health’s Public Health Directorate.  In addition, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority will participate at the show to present their efforts in ensuring food safety in the United Arab Emirates. 

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Throughout the three days of the show, NIAD will organise workshops on the quality and taste of food to ensure human health and safety. The workshops will be conducted in collaboration with four Greek companies, specialised in producing organic food. The participating companies are Terra Creta, specialized in producing organic olive oil, Stathakis company, specialized in producing premium quality natural honey, Tofillo company, specialized in producing natural herbs, and Avoel company, specialized in avocado-based products. The workshops aim at introducing participants - cooks and food distributors - with a variety of organic and natural products to form new partnerships between Bahrain and Greece. 

It’s expected that more than 155 exhibitors will showcase their designs, products, technologies, and innovations over an area of 7000 square meters. 

This year’s exhibition will feature a large number of agricultural companies from all around the world such as France, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, India, China, Indonesia, Turkey and Mali. Regional and Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Syrian Arab Republic, will enrich their pavilions with the latest innovations, designs and agricultural technologies and applications, and showcase their successful experiences in this field.

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The exhibition will feature 14 Bahraini farmers, selected by draw lot, to showcase their local products in order to encourage farmers, support the local produce and create different marketing outlets for them. 

The ‘Khlasi Garden’ pavilion will also be at the show this year. It will include many activities, from recreational games to educational workshops about food safety, to raise children’s awareness of healthy and safe food and create a healthy generation, physically and intellectually. 

Zahra Abdulmalik, president of the Bahrain Garden Club, spoke at the press conference about the organisation of the annual Flower and Vegetable competitions, including home and school gardens; various categories for flower arrangements; the open competition for locally grown flowers, vegetables and experimental plants; and the photography competition.

“We look forward to welcoming the public to the Bahrain International Garden Show to benefit from the knowledge, experiences, educational, economic and commercial initiatives that contribute to the improvement and sustainability of agriculture in the Kingdom of Bahrain”, Shaikha Maram said.