Omani Dates Festival to kick off today
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) will hold the 8th Omani Dates Festival from October 31 to November 7 at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
An official at MAFWR told Muscat Daily that 90 businesses will take part in the festival. It will also include the participation of investors and small and medium enterprises that are engaged in production and sale of date products, palms and their derivatives.
According to the official, the Omani Dates Festival is one of the most important events held in Oman. “It is organised annually by the ministry with the aim of encouraging SMES to invest in the date production and processing sector.”
Date production increased 2.2 per cent from 366,383 tonnes in 2020 to 374,341 tonnes at the end of 2021. Data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information’s 2021 Statistical Yearbook showed that Dakhliyah governorate produced the highest quantity of dates (89,379 tonnes), followed by North Batinah (57,399 tonnes), South Batinah (56,351 tonnes) and North Sharqiyah (52,721 tonnes).
The Million Date Palm Plantation Project was initiated in 2017 to increase production of dates and enhance self- sufficiency in food. The project came in response to Royal Directives of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, based on the importance of date palms in achieving food security in the sultanate, besides its historical and cultural significance.
The ministry has urged Omani farmers to grow dates to support the project.
It is organised annually by the ministry with the aim of encouraging SMES to invest in the date production and processing sector
MAFWR official