Prince Faisal Bin Mish'al Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Emir of Qassim region, checks a date at the ‘Dates Night,” the main event of the Onaiza Date Festival, Wednesday. — SPA ONAIZA – Qassim's date festivals are helping to promote competition and ensure better prices for consumers, said Prince Faisal Bin Mish'al Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Emir of Qassim region. After attending “Dates Night” Tuesday, the main event of the seventh Onaiza Date Festival, he said in a statement that each governorate and city has its own farms, production and markets. “Good offers can be found in Onaiza. Red sukkari can only be found in Al-Muthnab city; there is a huge variety and market in Buraidah; and Al-Badae' is known for its productive families and how they package dates,” the Deputy Emir said. He said it was only possible for the festivals to be held because of the country's security and stability. Prince Faisal said he wanted to see greater development of the industry in future including training of the country's young people. Currently, there are no factories to produce and package dates based on international standards, for export markets, he added. Yousif Al-Dakheel, the festival's supervisor general, said there have been a number of developments over the last few years. This includes the launch of a dates auction, training of males and females to sort dates, and the running of an anti-infestation program. This year two programs aimed at creating jobs for Saudis have been launched, the official added. Yousif Al-Zamil, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation's (SABIC) Vice Executive President for Chemicals, said the company's sponsorship of the festival shows its commitment to the agricultural sector. SABIC has developed a partnership with the Palm Research Center at King Faisal University in Al-Ahsa and helped set up a laboratory to analyze soil, water and plant samples at the university. The company also collaborates with other Saudi universities, the Ministry of Agriculture and major agricultural companies to develop palm tree plantations.
