Officials and customers at the dates festival, which was inaugurated at Al Mazroua Yard yesterday.
The Department of Agricultural Researches at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment yesterday inaugurated dates festival in Al Mazroua yard.
Some 12 farms and three companies are participating in the event which aims to promote locally produced dates.
The event aims to introduce different types of dates, highlights their popularity in the Qatari society, helping producers to sell their products, according to Khalifa Al Ansari, head of farmers' affairs at the Ministry.
Al Ansari added that there are 12 farms and three companies displaying dates like Al Khalas and Al Khonaizi, adding that showcased dates are different in sizes, tastes and shapes.
"This is the second time that the local dates are being promoted in the seasonal farm production yards and this follows the successful summer dates festival — Rotab," said Yousef Al Khulaifi, the director of Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry.
Al Khulaifi added that the dates festival will continue for three days. Many farms and companies have been invited to this festival to promote local products, ways of manufacturing of dry dates, packaging and storing.
"This event aims to introduce breeding of different types of palm trees and promote the plan for implementing joint project for dry dates in cooperation with other GCC countries," said Hamad Al Shamari, Assistant Director of Agricultural Research Section of the ministry.
"The dry dates project introduce the modern ways of drying the dates to reduce loss and help store them in safe ways," he added.
Abdulraman Al Sulaiti, general supervisor of the farm yards, highlighted that the prices of the dates in the yard is cheaper than those in the market.
He added that “we have agreed with the exhibitors to reduce the prices to attract customers”.
