Buraidah carnival boosts date sales to $20m

The Buraidah Dates Carnival in the Qassim region is driving a surge in commercial activity. With a wide variety of Qassim palm dates on display, the event is attracting both local shoppers and international traders.

Since the carnival started on Aug. 1, it has generated more than SR78 million ($20 million) in sales. A total of 9,976 tonnes of dates have been sold in about 2.5 million packages.

The event has drawn more than 170,000 visitors so far, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

The carnival, hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and overseen by the National Center for Palms and Dates, is a major marketing outlet, handling more than 1,000 vehicles loaded with dates daily.

The center has provided about 80 job opportunities for young men and women willing to work in the seasonal market at the carnival.

Both local and international consumers and traders favor Sukkari dates the most, followed by more than 50 other Qassim date varieties.

Qassim produces more than 390,000 tonnes of dates annually, with plans to surpass this by planting more than 2 million additional palm trees, contributing to Saudi Vision 2030 by boosting non-oil revenue.

The 51-day carnival is expected to display the produce of more than 11.2 million palm trees in Qassim. In addition to the marketplace, the event will include a range of cultural, awareness-raising, social and entertainment programs, starting in September.