Over 35 tonnes of dates sold

The ongoing third local dates festival continues to attract big crowds and register impressive sales since its launch at Souq Waqif last Thursday.In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) said a total of 35.32 tonnes of dates were sold on the first three days of the event, with some 15,500 people visiting the festival in three days.The date varieties sold included 19,862kg of Khalas, 6,336kg of Shishi, 5,104kg of Barhi, 2,582kg of Khanizi dates and others.The festival continues until August 4 and is open to the public daily from 4pm until 10pm. The activities tent at the festival has seen a great turnout of visitors, especially families and children, since the launch. The tent offers children various activities such as competitions, quizzes and awareness and educational lectures on the value of dates. It also introduces them to the various types of dates and how to plant and grow palm trees.The activities tent is being hosted for the first time in this edition of the festival. It mainly aims to introduce visitors to the importance of palm trees and the best methods of growing and maintaining them. The participating children are given gifts and certificates of appreciation to encourage them to take part in such events. Further, the MME’s agriculture research department will present a lecture on how to dry dates with a focus on all the relevant stages. Also, a workshop will be held on traditional palm fronds handicrafts as well as other related cultural events to enhance public awareness.A total of 73 local farms are participating in this edition of the festival, an increase of 13 compared to last year.