Doha: The Ministry of Municipality and Environment launched the fifth Local Dates Festival 2020 in cooperation with Al Meera Consumer Goods Company at Al Meera’s Hayat Plaza branch on Monday, July 20, 2020. The event was held in the presence of high-level officials from the Ministry’s Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs Departments as well as Al Meera.
Typically held in Souq Waqif, this year, Al Meera takes over by hosting the festival at its branches at 54 locations across Qatar. The locally produced Rutab will be available to customers as part of a special promotion by Al Meera. The local Rutab is characterized by distinct production and marketing capabilities that contribute to its freshness and high quality, making it preferable to consumers compared to other kinds. This year, the festival will include various kinds of home-grown dates like Al-Barhi, Shishi, Ikhlas and others.
“The Local Dates Festival lies within the ministry’s framework in improving the visibility of Qatari products in the local market. The ministry holds the marketing of local produce as a priority that can significantly aid in improving the quality of local agricultural production whilst reducing waste, to achieve an overall increase in demand. The combined efforts are aimed at motivating the local farm owners to increase production and improve quality using modern technology,” Yousuf Khalid Al-Khulaifi, Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department, said.
The festival will run until the target stock of 300 tonnes of local dates lasts. Moreover, this year’s festival witnesses the participation of more than 100 local farms and dates producers.
Commenting on the launch event, Al Meera Consumer Goods Company stated: “We are pleased to host the 5th Local Dates Festival at Al Meera branches this year in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment. The Rutab date is a special date as it represents for us the traditions and local culture of our country. By holding the festival this year, we have the unique opportunity to support our community, customers, and local producers as part of our continued efforts to support national products.”
Al Meera branches have allocated special areas to display the local dates across all its branches geared at competitive prices for the entirety of the festival.
