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Over 60 tonnes of fresh dates have sold so far at the ‘6th Fresh Local Dates Festival 2021’. The festival began on July 15 at Souq Waqif and will continue until July 30 with participation of 82 farms. The opening hours is from 4pm to 10pm.
The event attracts hundreds of visitors and expects to draw more in the upcoming days. It offers many varieties of fresh dates at affordable prices starting from QR7 and QR8 per kg. They include Khalas, Al Shishi, Al Khanizi, among others.
“We are expecting more visitors during the coming days, and so far more than 60 tonnes of fresh dates have been sold at the festival,” said Ahmed Al Yafei, Head of The Department of Agricultural Guidance and Services, Department of Agricultural Affairs of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
Speaking to The Peninsula yesterday, he said that “Average sales at the festival per day are about 9 tonnes and sometimes more. We are expecting more visitors in the next days.”
Ahmed Al Yafei also said that closure of the festival will be on July 30, and there is no possibility to extend its opening.
The event is being organised by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), in collaboration with Souq Waqif Administration.
The festival comes within the framework of supporting farms and encouraging them to display and market their products and providing fresh dates to people at lower prices compared to the markets.
“The festival was held to promote local Qatari agricultural products, further using marketing to improve agricultural products and incentivizing farms to use advanced agriculture technology to raise the quantity and quality of production,” the Ministry said.
The Organizing Committee of the festival has set requirements for the dates offered for sale, including that the fresh dates showcased in the festival should be in the ripening stage and free from any odour. In addition, the dates should have a natural taste and smell.
The local Rutab (Fresh Local Dates) is characterised by distinct production and marketing capabilities that contribute to its freshness and high quality, making it preferable to consumers compared to other varieties.
On its official website, MME said that the dates production for this year will reach 27,000 tonnes, achieving a 76 percent rate of self–sufficiency.
For the palm trees, MME said that Qatar’s palm tree reserve is estimated at 650,000 to 700,000 trees spanning 2.2 hectares.
Regarding Qatar imports of dates, MME noted that “Qatar imports approximately 10,000 tonnes of dates annually.
"In contrast, Qatar exports multiple varieties dates through Hassad Food Company with its subsidiary Nafco, which produces dozens of different dates.”
