A view from the second local fresh dates Festival 2017 at Souq Waqif.
High quality fresh local dates will be sold at Al Meera complexes, an official at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment has said.
“For the first time the fresh local dates will be among the high quality products which will be sold at Al Meera complexes,” Yousef Al Khulaifi, the Director of Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry said yesterday.
“The department is working on adding more local vegetables among the high quality products to be sold at commercial complexes,” Al Khulaifi added.
“Some types of vegetables have already entered the market and the department wants to increase the types which will compete with international products,” a source told The Peninsula.
Replying to a question about the names of types which will be available soon, he said “there are many types of vegetables like tomatoes and the ministry is considering to add honey among the high quality products which will be sold at commercial complexes.”
He added: “The high quality fresh local dates will be available in different commercial complexes not only in Al Meera as it was mentioned in the ministry statement.”
More than 21 tonnes of local fresh dates were sold at the second local fresh dates Festival 2017 at Souq Waqif on Sunday and Monday, while the number of visitors reached 9000.
“On Monday the amount of fresh dates sold was 10 tonnes and 898kg and the number of visitors was 5000. The varieties which were sold on Monday included 5678kg of Khalas, 1723kg of Shishi, 1457kg of Khanizi, 1441kg of Barhi and 599 of several other types,” he said.
The Agricultural Affairs Department succeeded this year to produce about 21000 seedlings, while last year the number reached 17000. The department targets to produce 50,000 seedlings after three years.
Recently Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, visited the festival at Souq Waqif. He took a tour and was briefed about it.
