Since it was launched 37 days ago, date farmers, traders and investors at Dates City, part of the 10th Buraidah Festival, have generated sales exceeding SR800 million. The deals were made for the first harvest of 45 kinds of dates produced by farms in Buraidah and other governorates in the Al-Qassim region, which has more than six million date palm trees. Yellow Al-Sukkari (Al-Sukkari Al-Asfar) dates make up more than 85 percent of the produce according to dealers in the market. Dealers at Dates City said forecasts indicate that other kinds of dates are expected to arrive in the next few days. Most prominent among them are: Nabtat Ali, Al-Khlaas, Al-Saq'i, Al-Barhi and Al-Wannanah, along with several others that consumers demand, whether they are in the form of “rutab” or “Al-Manasseef,” which total 15 percent of daily sales exceeding SR7 million. Dr. Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Neqaidan, executive director of the 10th Buraidah Festival, expects the market to witness sales increases in the current week and in the weeks to come. He attributed the expected increases to daily calls among investors and brokers to secure dates for domestic and international orders, and the entry of new investors from Gulf countries. The Eid Al-Fitr holiday contributed to an increased number of vehicles arriving at the market, where large quantities of dates are being displayed; there were more than 1,500 vehicles every day during the morning and evening sessions, Dr. Al-Neqaidan added. Dr. Al-Neqaidan said increasing the quantities of dates for sale would contribute to a decline in prices, particularly for Al-Sukkari dates, which cost between SR55 and SR130 for three-kg cartons. The excellent-quality, dried and “Galaxy” kinds of Al-Sukkari dates have maintained their price ranges of SR200 to SR350 per three-kg carton, he added. Dr. Al-Neqaidan said the festival organizers and the Ministry of Commerce branch in Al-Qassim carefully monitor dates brought to Dates City to make sure dealers' claims about their types and quality. If the claims are incorrect, officials confiscate the dates on the spot and make violators sign undertakings not to repeat their actions, he added. The objective is to create a distinctive and successful season that meets everybody's needs and measures up to expectations of shoppers, investors and consumers, Dr. Al-Neqaidan said. Meanwhile, Yusuf Bin Abdullah Al-Dakheel, supervisor general of the Festival for Marketing and Localizing Dates in Unaizah Governorate, lauded the effective role being carried out by the 7th festival there and its contribution to a program for Saudization of date-related work. The effort, which includes training workers, aims to provide employment and investment opportunities for 20 youths under the care of the Orphans' Care Charitable Project in the Unaizah Governorate, he said.
