BURAIDAH: The Buraidah Date Festival, organized by the Al-Qassim branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, has registered sales exceeding SR62 million ($16.5 million) in the first seven days since its opening. According to the statistics committee at the festival, the market has received more than 9,000 vehicles loaded with over 3,000 tons of various types of dates. Date companies and farmers are witnessing significant activity, as consumers prefer to shop for dates at the festival and freeze them for later consumption. The ministry’s director general, Abdulaziz Al-Rajehi, said that Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Mishaal has “given great attention” to the month-long festival, which will showcase more than 45 kinds of dates. The event will also feature scores of activities and marketing schemes to promote Qassim’s date industry. The festival aims to attract consumers, investors and exporters from the Arab and Gulf countries. About 4,000 young men, women and families have set up booths at the festival to sell their handmade products. Meanwhile, demand for the fruit, especially ajwa dates, has increased significantly in Madinah due to the influx of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. Madinah is famous for producing various types of dates, including ajwa, safawi, mejdool, anbara, sagai, barni and mabroom. Pilgrims as well as visitors sample and buy the fruit during their time in the city. The harvest season of ajwa, mejdool and safawi dates has also begun. About 4 million trees will be harvested to stock date markets in Madinah, according to Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Radadi, director general of the Cooperative Society for Dates in Madinah.