(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
The Peninsula
Doha: Ninth Local Fresh Dates Festival 2024 sold out over 240 tonnes of fresh dates, 10 percent more compared to the last year.
The 12-day event from July 23 to August 3 attracted over 50,000 visitors including tourists. The festival was organised by the Ministry of Municipality's Agricultural Affairs Department in coordination with Souq Waqif management. The total fresh dates sold during the festival amounted to 240,172 kilogrammes. Khalas variety witnessed the largest sale with 105,333 kilogrammes, followed by Khunaizi with 45,637 kilogrammes. Shishi and Barhi dates shared 42,752 kilogrammes and 27,260 kilogrammes respectively. The sale of other varieties reached 19,190 kilogrammes.
Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department, Yousef Khalid Al Khulaifi, said this year's festival was distinguished by a wide public turnout in light of the great interest the state pays to supporting local production and developing the agricultural sector.
The sale of fresh date increased to 240 tonnes this year, up from 220 tonnes in 2023, recording 10 a percent growth rate.
He said the festival was held in line with date harvesting season, with the aim of supporting farm owners and those interested in palm cultivation and exchanging experiences.
“The number of farms participating in the exhibition this year increased to 110 local farms that offered various types of dates,” said Al Khulaifi.
The most prominent varieties offered at the festival included khlas, Shishi, Khunaizi, Barhi, Iraqi, Sukkari, Zaghloul, Sultana, Al Ghar, Nabat Saif, Lulu, Razizi and Shihab.
He said three farms participated in the festival with local fruits where 510kgs of figs and 395kgs of almonds were sold.
Al Khulaifi said this year's festival included a special section for selling palm seedlings produced using tissue culture technology, as well as special participation from the Agricultural Research Department represented by the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory.
The festival comes within the framework of the great interest that Qatar gives to supporting and encouraging local production, including dates, coinciding with the date harvesting season in the country.
It aims to achieve food security, and develop the agricultural sector, including palm trees, supporting farm owners and those interested in palm cultivation, upgrading the varieties of dates and fresh dates in the country, and in learning about modern agricultural methods and exchanging experiences to produce the best and finest types of fresh dates.
Date festival is one of the most prominent events in Doha that highlights the importance of dates in the cultural, heritage and economic life of the country. It is also considered a forum where visitors learn about dates and the most popular varieties grown in Qatar.
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