Prince Dr. Faisal Bin Misha'l Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Emir of Qassim region inspects dates on display at the Buraidah Dates Festival, Thursday. — SPA BURAIDAH – The world's largest dates festival officially kicked off here Thursday with products of more than 6 million date palms in the province on display. Average daily sales during the 75-day festival may reach SR25 million. The festival was inaugurated here Thursday by Prince Dr. Faisal Bin Misha'l Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Emir of Qassim region. The festival's theme this year is “Dates provide food for winter and summer.” During the festival, Prince Dr. Faisal visited palm tree plantations and several private and public sector companies. He said the festival was important for the economy of the region. The international dates city in Buraidah has won the title of “The largest dates city in the world”, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. “We expect a 20 percent increase in supply during the festival,” said Khaled Al-Naqidan, CEO of the festival. He said the event would create 3,000 jobs for Saudis. The Buraidah Municipality has completed preparations for the festival by readying an area of 27,000 sq. meters, which can accommodate 2,000 trucks and cold-storage vehicles. “This year the loading and unloading work has been restricted to Saudi youths, who have been provided with the necessary equipment to do their work efficiently,” the CEO said. The Kingdom's government supports palm tree farming, donates land as grants and helps farmers to purchase farming equipment. It also encourages farmers by giving them long-term loans through the Saudi Arabian Agricultural Bank. Prince Dr. Faisal thanked all private and public sector companies for their contribution in the success of the festival. The Qassim Mayoralty owns the dates market, which is on a total area of 300,000 sq. meters. It has parking lots and loading areas. Qassim region has a number of strategic dates projects including the Palm Tree Center which has a hotel and 27,000-sq. meter mosque. The festival offers more than 35 varieties of dates, mostly produced in Qassim farms. The prices vary between SR25 and SR400 per kg, depending on the variety and quality. The sukkari (sweet) type attracts the largest number of customers. The festival has attracted Saudi youths from different parts of the country, as they have learned from friends who worked for previous festivals that it is a good opportunity to make extra money.
