The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has on Friday launched AlUla Dates Festival, in partnership with several government and private agencies, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The annual dates season will last until November 9, 2024, taking place every Friday and Saturday for nine weeks. It aims to provide local farmers with a unique opportunity to showcase their high-quality date products to customers and investors from across the Kingdom and abroad.
On its first day, AlUla Dates Festival’s auction received 110 tons of dates, underscoring the region’s rich agricultural heritage and potential for growth. It also witnessed a huge turnout of farmers, investors and buyers.
This year, the Dates Festival hosts for the first time interactive sessions featuring world-class chefs to display AlUla’s rich heritage and explore creative ways to use dates in new products and recipes.
The festival is part of a broader initiative to support local farmers and promote sustainable agriculture. The initiative also includes workshops and training programs to increase productivity and improve the quality and competitiveness of AlUla dates in local and global markets.
Furthermore, the RCU has organized AlUla Dates Festival to coincide with the harvest season, helping many farmers to achieve high production and increased sales.
Dates hold a high economic and social significance for AlUla Governorate, which boasts approximately three million palm trees producing 120,000 tons annually. This makes AlUla a major contributor to Saudi Arabia’s agricultural sector.
Moreover, AlUla produces a wide variety of the finest date products, including Barni AlUla, the crown jewel of the region’s agricultural products, and its grade varieties, Mabroom and Mashrook.
