The onset of Ramadan witnessed different kinds of dates brought to markets including the one in Tabarjal, which is attracting many traders with a wide range of dates from neighboring regions. To meet the high demand during the holy month, merchants brought dates from Hail, Al-Qassim, Madina and Al-Jouf. Hassan Abdul Rahman, an Arab who has been selling dates for more than five years, described it as a profitable business, especially during Ramadan, a time of high demand for dates, particularly for Madina Rutab, which are soft and very sweet; Hulwat Al-Jouf and Hulwat Al-Qassim. Ahmad Salim, a merchant from Al-Qassim, said he comes to the Northern Region, particularly the city of Tabarjal, every Ramadan to sell different kinds of Al-Qassim dates. Saleh Hamid, a shopper at the market, said it has large supplies of different kinds of dates, some of which are only available during Ramadan. Prices are high, though, because traders take advantage of consumers who are keen to purchase dates during the holy month, he added. Hamid Al-Sharari, a Saudi citizen, warned that date production is likely to drop in the coming years because many farmers have stopped growing date palms and resorted to more profitable crops such as wheat, barley and corn. He expects that decreased production will cause further increase in date prices, despite the Kingdom being one of the world's largest sources of dates, producing more more 800,000 tons annually. __
