MAHAIL: The first honey festival kicked off last Wednesday in Mahail province where some 22 bee breeders and honey producers from inside and outside of the Province joined in the festival. The supervisor of the festival, Ali bin Saman, said the honey market in Mahail used to sell large quantities of honey annually, a matter that prompted official authorities to adopt the idea of a festival. From the very beginning, the festival witnessed enormous purchases by visitors, he said. He said an expert committee applies quality control standards on a daily basis where all types of honey are subject to quality checks and where visitors are asked to provide their remarks on the quality of the products. He said a full-prepared hall was set up to accommodate more than 22 exhibitors, in addition to a location for public auctions as well as other corners (wings) for the products of government agencies, including the branch Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and bee breeders in Abha. Saman reported that visitors have said prices were reasonable and affordable compared to prices in other markets. The displayed products are of this season’s product which are of good value and taste, he said. He said demand goes up for certain types including Sidra, Majari, Dhahayyan and Samrah, where one kilo is ranging between SR400-1,000 ($106-266), visitors said, adding that the first two types are more in demand.