Year-end Review: Saudi Arabia Turns Crops Harvest into Marvelous Festivals in 2024
Saudi Arabia has made bold strides to elevate its crops production and celebrate harvest seasons with stunning festivals.
From Taif roses to Asir’s Sidr Honey, the Kingdom has been revolutionizing food harvesting and boosting the cultural aspects of certain crops.
Taif Rose Festival
Every spring, the Taif province turns rosy during the rose-picking season with more than 200 million roses produced each season.
The harvest season starts around the end of March or early April, lasting between 35 to 45 days, with an average of 70,000 roses picked daily.
Taif Rose Festival represents a significant annual event set to captivate visitors around the world with its enchanting red-pink hue and fascinating aromas.
The festival began on Saturday April 28 and will run until Wednesday, May 15.
As a result, visitors flocked to the 19th Festival at Al-Raddaf Park where roses were in full bloom, reflecting the floral heritage of Taif.
Organized by the Taif Rose Cooperative Society and Taif Municipality, the festival featured stunning blooms of pink roses and impressive floral showcases.
Furthermore, there was a magnificent turnout designed for Taif residents and domestic and international tourists.
A stunning flower carpet located in the center of the park left visitors amazed. The wonder of the carpet basically lied in the fact that it had been crafted using over a million flower and rose seedlings, making it the largest in the history of the festival.
Over the years, the festival broke a Guinness world record for the biggest basket of roses. The basket included 84,450 assorted roses, that were organized by 190 young people over 168 hours.
Dates Seasons
Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Palms and Dates launched “Dates Seasons,” in August to boost the economic value and social significance of dates in Saudi Arabia.
As a prestigious seasonal event across the Kingdom’s cities known for date production, the “Dates Seasons,” immersed local communities and visitors in various heritage and cultural activities in the heart of bustling date markets.
Therefore, the event aimed basically at optimizing dates investment to meet the needs of farmer, marketer and buyer through “Seasonal Markets System.” The center launched this electronic system to control and organize the movement of dates trading and elevate the efficiency and quality of seasonal dates markets.
The CEO of the National Center for Palms and Dates, Dr. Mohammed Al-Nuwairan, emphasized that “Dates Seasons,” fosters the purchasing power of the dates markets across the Kingdom and ensures that Saudi dates become a competitive economic product through the modern market governance.
Al-Baha Pomegranate Festival
In September, Saudi farmers in Al-Baha region started to harvest their unique pomegranates known for its fascinating colors and delicious flavors.
It is worth mentioning that the region boasts nearly 179 hectares of pomegranate orchards that produce over 1,600 tons per year due to various key factors. They include the fertile land, moderate climate, abundant water supply, as well as rich agricultural soil.
Pomegranate cultivation dates back hundreds of years. The relationship between farmers and the pomegranate trees is like a lifelong journey that begins from childhood until old age.
Clearly, traditional cultivation methods have evolved throughout ages. In the past, farmers used to transport crops by camel to neighboring markets. However, in the present time, farmers use advanced agricultural practices and transportation methods.
The farmers were eagerly excited for the 13th edition of the National Al-Baha Pomegranate Festival that took place under the auspicious of Prince Dr. Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Al-Baha’s Governor.
In the light of this, the festival represented a valuable platform for all farmers to showcase all pomegranate products such as juice, syrup, pomegranate oil, and others.
Therefore, farmers considered the event as a new marketing channels to introduce their products locally and internationally.
Sidr Honey Season
In November, Sidr Honey Season in Asir region kicked off with local honey markets receiving several shipments of high-quality honey.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the heavy rains that hit Tihama Asir and its coastal plains during August, September and October 2024 flowered the trees and enriched the production.
Therefore, bees had ideal conditions to produce abundant and flavorful honey.
Known for its health benefits, Sidr honey boasts various antioxidant properties and ability to strengthen the immune system.
Moreover, the honey has exceptional taste and aroma that have made it a favorable product for local and international communities.
Crucially, the region’s diverse ecosystem serves as a perfect environment for beekeeping with its fertile valleys and abundant flora.
The season represented an integral part of the efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to boost and develop the beekeeping industry and honey production in Saudi Arabia.
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