Doha, July 25 (QNA) - Qatar's Ministry of Municipality, in collaboration with Souq Waqif management, inaugurated the 11th Local Dates Festival on Saturday. It will run until August 10.

Held at Souq Waqif's Eastern Square, most Qatari farms are staging large booths at the square, showcasing the most premium-quality homegrown wet dates, alongside a cornucopia of seasonal fruits.

The festival broadly features wide-ranging programs, daily contests and spurring prizes, as well as awareness cultural events that suit all family members, alongside an awareness symposium in collaboration with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs to delve into the provisions of palm and fruit Zakat.

The event is open to the public daily from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department Yousef Khalid Al Khulaifi outlined that this kind of festival has become an annual landmark much awaited by both farmers and the public, as it positions itself as a national platform to strengthen awareness of this critical agricultural sector in Qatar and support domestic production.

Al Khulaifi stressed that in every single edition, the Ministry has been committed to advancing the festival to provide the best experiences for farmers and visitors and keep up with the growing agricultural sector in the nation.

This edition is much larger than ever, for the first time including several commercial complexes, Al Khulaifi noted, affirming that this would help reach wider consumers, open additional windows to market local fresh dates, and foster farmers' opportunities to promote their products.

He pointed out that the Ministry continues to unlock supportive initiatives for farmers by having marketing platforms in place to elevate local competitiveness.

  This kind of festival is a crucial platform to project the premium quality of Qatari Ruttab cultivars, Al Khulaifi underlined.

He explained that such a platform fosters partnerships between government agencies and farmers, as well as encourages community members to support this domestic product in alignment with the nation's thrust toward food security and sustainability.

Director of Souq Waqif Mohammed Abdullah Al Salem said hosting this festival has been an outgrowth of the productive partnership with the Ministry to have a platform in place that offers farmers the space to showcase their products at one of the most prominent tourism and commercial hubs, so as to activate commercial traffic.

Overall, the organization of this event is part of the Ministry's efforts to support farmers and entrench the stature of Qatari wet dates as the most flagship cultivars in support of food security and sustainability.

This annual festival continues to strengthen its stature as one of the most prominent events in Qatar to showcase the diverse characteristics of Qatari wet dates, keeping abreast with the nation's National Vision 2030 when it comes to food security and sustainable development. (QNA)