Mexico will be hosting the International Festival of Palma Datilera for the second year in a row, in Baja California and Sonora, to promote the quality of the date fruit. The head of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, highlighted the economic and social benefits of the crop and stated that Mexico is now among the best producers of quality dates in the world. A memorandum of cooperation was signed at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, providing technical support and technology transfer about the Mejhoul date variety to Mexico. The festival will also provide support for Mexican date palms to participate in other international festivals in the Middle East and North Africa region.